The Studies of Scarlet: Trivial Disobedience (A Pokemon Fanfiction)
by ScarletRegnar
Summary: Scarlet Regnar is a 13 year old Pokemon Ranger who discovers his prowess in Pokemon training despite his island-home's goal of keeping training off, no matter what the cost. Little does Scarlet know of the events he will set into action by some Trivial Disobedience. Vote for my story in the 2013 PKMNWattyAwards on Wattpad


The Studies of Scarlet: Trivial Disobedience

**Chapter 1: Sandman**

_"You know how in grade school, they would let the little kids take a nap halfway through the day? I liked that idea, but always thought they should have saved the nap time for the older kids. We're the ones that actually need a nap", _I think as I lay my head on my desk, trying to rest a bit before 3rd period. Even though I'm starting the second semester of my final year at school, I am still really groggy in the mornings.

The school I go to is special because it is only for Student Pokémon Rangers. The school is in my hometown, a Ranger-owned private island in the Ivenovia Archipelago called Ranger Island. I know…very creative naming on the founder's part.

As a Student Pokémon Ranger on Ranger Island, the schooling is a bit unorthodox. Right now I'm 13, so for the last 8.5 years I learned all my core subjects up to a high-school level, and some Pokémon fundamentals. Now this semester, from today, February 1st to June, I am going to learn how to be a Ranger, which includes equipment, geography, physical fitness and healing, and most importantly, capturing Pokémon with a slider. All the youth on the island are taught this way, and although some of them take it like Pokémon take Heal Powder, I take it with gusto for two reasons. One, I actually do like school for the most part, but the most important reason I make sure do well is because my dad is Ben Regnar, the Retired Top Ranger who saved Fiore, Almia, and Oblivia.

It is extremely stressful sometimes being his son. Right now, he's the Head of Ranger Island Telecommunications, which basically means he's in charge of monitoring what airs on TV, radio, etc. I know he wants to run for Head of the Ranger Island Council, which is similar to a mayor. No matter how hard he campaigns and how many people like him and agree with his ideals, the current head, Facius Malus, always seems to generate more votes. My dad swears that the voting's fixed. My mom, Summer Regnar, works as a receptionist / secretary at the Council Building, which also serves as the school board office, so there's reason number three: All the bad things that students do are eventually viewed by my mom.

I love my home on Ranger Island, but every Student Ranger, including me, is itching to get off this island and see the world. We have no real connection to the rest of the region except for a ferry which shuttles to Type Island, about which I only know its name. Rangers can leave any time they want, but the only way for Rangers-In-Training to get on the ferry at our island is a special pass, which are so rare that there are stories about them. Of course, these stories came from last year's upperclassmen, so their reliability is dubious. We cannot leave because the Council wants to keep "the highly imprintable youngsters" from absorbing "unsavory ideas." I think the reason we all want to leave is because we aren't allowed to know what's on the other side of the sea.

We aren't allowed to escape using technology either. We have computers, but they have an extreme proxy/firewall on them to keep us from going to certain sites. Televisions are monitored similarly. There are no cell phones or videogames. The council calls these "distractions to learning and contributors of unsavory ideas".

I sit up, unable to get any rest. I already had Latin and the first meeting of the Pokémon Club before this, but this class, Ranger Studies, goes for two whole blocks. Pokémon Club is a discussion group about Pokémon of which I am President. Our sponsor, Mrs. Whipkey, gives us topics to debate and discuss, and it's an easy A.

I decide to watch my other classmates. I start watching my friend Vera, whose parents are Joel and Solana Riofe, using art pencils and ink for sketching a Pidgey outside in a tree. She captures its likeness perfectly, just like all her other sketches, paintings and ceramics.

"You should really consider art school when you get out of Ranger Training, I say, impressed.

"I really would, but my parents want me to be a Ranger...besides, what if I'm not good enough for art school?"

"Come on...you can do anything art-related perfectly, how can they say you aren'..."

"ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz!" We both hear.

I look up at the row in front of me and I see Tyler fast asleep with his head on his knapsack, similar to how I was earlier. Tyler is my cousin, whose parents are my aunt Lilly, my dad's little sister, and Keith, my dad's friend from his Ranger school in Almia. I usually get along with him, but he's a bit loud and can be slightly obnoxious.

"We should probably get Tyler up so Mrs. Captia's first impression of him isn't a snoring, drooling idiot." Vera laughs.

Mrs. Captia is a relatively new teacher; she's only been a teacher here since last year, but we never interacted with her because she only teaches the last semester Ranger Studies for upperclassmen. The main rumor going around is that she's super strict, especially towards the children from important Ranger families. I'm watching my back, but won't pass judgment on her until I meet her in person.

"Wake up Tyler!" Vera shouts, poking his back with the eraser end of her pencil.

"Oww…gimmfivemurminutes," Tyler drowsily mumbles.

"But Mrs. Captia's right outside!" I joke, feigning alarm.

"What!" He shoots up. Upon seeing the few students, including Vera and I bursting into laughter, he gets red.

"Come ON! Can't you let a guy sleep?" Tyler rages.

Vera, Tyler, and I were all born within days of each other, and we've been close friends since we were toddlers. I am the oldest, Tyler is the youngest, and Vera is in the middle. I like being older than him, even if it's only a few days, because I like telling him that with age comes experience and wisdom.

We talk until the warning bell rings, when the rest of the class hurries in, and sits in alphabetical order. Then, the tardy bell rings, and Mrs. Captia comes in

**Chapter 2: A Trail to Blaze**

My first impression is relief. I have a certain gift for deduction, so I read Mrs. Captia as someone who was strict but fair, one who would tale no-nonsense from the goofball upperclassmen who warned us of Mrs. Captia.

She starts to take role, but then looks down her role sheet, as if she was looking for someone specific.

"Scarlet Regnar?"

I raise my hand and she stares at me for a while. Not like an angry stare, but more of one like she's sizing me up.

She then calls both Tyler and Vera's names. I think, "Maybe the rumors are true". Then she proceeds to call the rest of the class in alphabetical order. After she takes roll, she tells Tyler and me to pass out all of our textbooks and equipment. I don't complain because I don't want to add fuel to the proverbial fire.

When I sit down and flip through my textbook, _The Study of the Regions_, I notice that it has a large number of its pages cut out and some words and whole passages blacked out with a marker. I politely raise my hand and tell her that someone had vandalized my book.

She neutrally answers, "That is not vandalism; it is censorship. That textbook contained material that was considered unsuitable for you to read".

"Unsuitable to read? What do you mean?"

She looks over the rims of her glasses and sighs.

"Some people, instead of using Pokémon for good, use them like roosters at a cockfight, keeping them isolated in cage like devices until they need cash. This is highly addictive, and the school board wants to raise you to believe that Pokémon are our friends, not our money-making devices."

She looked like she was telling us that medicine tasted good.

I sit quietly through the rest of class, taking notes as she explains the usage of our new equipment, such as our School Styler.

She dismisses the class with no homework, and we all leave quickly. I catch up with Vera and Tyler.

"Told you she hates us," Tyler remarks.

"I don't think she hates us," Vera responds, "She has a good reason to watch the people who in her mind might try to use their parents as excuses to be obstructive.

"Watch..! You got to draw in your precious notebook while you watched Scarlet and I drag those heavy boxes around!" Tyler retorts. "Let's see what you say after you've busted your a..."

"Speaking of drawing", I quickly interrupt to keep this fic at least "PG" rated, "meet me at the treehouse after dinner. I have found the perfect place for your watercolor while I was hiking the other day."

"The Treehouse" was an old treehouse that my dad had built for me when I was little. Nowadays I use it as my getaway spot. It has a scenic view of the ocean, and it backs to the forest.

"Where is it?" Vera exclaimed.

"You'll just have to come and find out for yourself!" I yell while running off.

"Are you sure you know where you are going?" Vera asked, as we blaze our way through the woods.

"Yes, I've been here before, and you know that I know this island inside and out", I respond, pushing a renegade branch aside."

"You don't know the Crystal Cliff inside and out," Tyler retorts before he gets hit by the branch, "Oww! Watch it!"

The Crystal Cliff is a jagged, rocky cliff that is the epicenter of frequent tremors that shake every building on the island. I have seen it from afar, but there is a wire fence that the Ranger Council placed to keep people out.

I quickly change the subject.

"Here we are!"

We break through the trees into a secluded cove. No one that I know of has ever been here. I see a few Wingull surfing on the updrafts and a Lapras surfing on a wave. Vera looks astonished.

"This is perfect…How did you find this?"

"One day I followed the coast around this side of the island and stumbled across this cove."

Vera gets her paints out and places a piece of canvas on a small easel. She finds a place to sit and starts to paint a Wingull on a rock with the sunset as the background. Tyler lays down on a large, smooth rock. I take off my shoes and dangle my feet in the water while I look at my new styler's functions.

_"This is your Student Voice Navigation Unit for your Styler", _it says in a highly automated voice. This makes the Wingull fly away, followed by a dirty look from Vera. I turn it off and instead look at the sea, noticing the slight bubbling of the Water Barrier.

Our island is on its own mini tectonic plate which slightly diverges, causing heated gases to be released. This causes the water to be less dense; as a result most Pokémon cannot swim through it. This also causes hot, fast air currents that act like a dome, keeping all the bird Pokémon on the island. Only strong boats, like the ferry, can sail through it.

I watch the sun slowly setting, when I notice something out of place near the horizon. I stand up and get my binoculars out of my pack.

"What is it?" Tyler asks questioningly." I focus the lenses and scan the horizon.

I see a rock that is halfway submerged under the water with something on it. I focus even more before I see it.

"What!?" I drop the binoculars, which shatter against the rock. Vera and Tyler are taken aback by my outburst.

"What is it? What do you see?" Tyler asks urgently

"A man," I get out.

** Chapter 3: House on the Sand/ House on the Rock**

"What's a man doing out there?!" Vera asks alarmed.

"We need to get help!" Tyler says, running towards the direction of town.

"Stop!" I shout at Tyler, "High tide's coming in; he would drown before even I could get back here".

"Then how are we going to help him? It's too dangerous to swim out there, much less drag an injured or unconscious person back to shore," Vera asked hurriedly.

I look around trying to think. I see the Lapras near the shore and run toward it.

"Scarlet! You seriously think you can capture when we have just gotten Stylers?" Tyler asks.

I keep on running. "I have seen my dad do it hundreds of times, I can handle this."

I hear them shouting, but I block it out. I reach the shore and turn on my Styler. I shoot the capture disk out towards the Lapras and start to rotate the beam of light in circles which shoots out of my Styler.

The Lapras starts to move around, but I keep with it, frantically moving the Styler in circles while I watch the friendship meter on my Styler fill up. After a few more revolutions, a sphere of yellowish light forms around Lapras.

"Capture complete," says the Styler.

I hop on Lapras's back and tell it to swim to the rock, which is slowly being overtaken by the tide. When I reach the man, I grab him and a bag he was holding and put him on Lapras's back. I quickly sail back to shore.

"We'll reach town faster if we use Lapras," I say. Tyler and Vera get on, and we sail off.

I can now see the face of the man. I can tell that he's about my dad's age and was not from Ranger Island. He has a beard and a head of dark, moon-shaped auburn hair, with a thin, boxy mustache.

I focus my attention on navigating, but it turns out the beach was only about a half a mile from town by water. My house is on the outskirts of town and is on the water. We dock and gently place him on the dock. I release Lapras, thanking it for a speedy rescue. It starts to swim back in the direction of the beach. I run into my house, shouting, "Dad!"

My dad runs out of his study.

"Scarlet, what's the matter?"

"Dad, we found an unconscious man who was drowning. He needs CPR!"

I run out the door and he follows me. I hear him gasp as he sees the unconscious man, does Dad know him? Dad starts CPR on the guy and we run to get a place for us to lay him down.

"No! You can't do this to me...You have to breathe!" My dad pleads as he performs CPR.

I look back at my dad and I see the desperation on his face. I know that my dad knows that man and wants him to survive.

**Chapter 4: Cat out of the Bag**

Dad was able to revive our mystery man, who we lay on the couch in my father's study. My dad shoos us out of his study and bolts the door.

"Great," complains Tyler. "Now we won't be able to figure out who he is".

"Maybe instead of just sitting around, being bummed out, we could do something proactive like dry the guy's knapsack. It's still soaking wet," remarks Vera.

We go up to my bathroom and get all of the hair dryers. I unzip the guy's knapsack and pull out a clamshell box that holds two framed pictures when you open it. Both sides had two pictures: A main one with our mysterious guy and a lady and a smaller picture. One side has two children, the other has one.

"_Both those women look like they are his wife, so I'm guessing something happened to one of them_," I think as I pass the picture frame to Vera, who dries it with a towel. "_He keeps both their pictures, so I'm guessing the lady in the black and white picture died. Something also happened to his second wife, because our stranger has aged some since the second photo was taken and he has no wedding ring on. His children are either dead or not in his custody, because the pictures were taken around the same time each of his wife's pictures were taken. He would have much more updated pictures after this amount of time._

While thinking, I accidentally knock the man's knapsack onto the floor, spilling six red and white orbs onto the floor. One releases a purple cat-like Pokémon that I've never seen before. I quickly grab the orb and press a button on the front of it, which makes the Pokémon disappear.

"What in the world was THAT?" Tyler shouts.

"Shh!" I whisper. When he quiets down, I still hear someone talking. I run over to the air vent. "I hear the guy! This air vent runs to my dad's study"

We all lean in and listen to their conversation.

"It is just too dangerous Cyke," I hear my dad say. "I want to help, you know I do, but this will be very bad if we get caught. You know what happened to my father"

_I note that now I know the name of our mysterious man and my dad mentioned Grandpa. Dad hates to talk about Grandpa._

"Ben, the payoff is worth it. We'll expose Malus for who he really is, a lying cheating scoundrel that has wrongly kept you from leading this island.

_Cyke mentioned Facius Malus, the head of the Ranger council. How is he connected?_

"I don't want to risk our lives and our families' lives. Besides, I couldn't morally do this," I hear dad say

"What do you think I've been studying for all these years? Besides, if you won't do this for me, do this for your family. Do you want to have them being led by that man?

"Fine, I'll do it on three conditions.

_Do What?_

One, give me 3 months to prepare myself. Two, don't tell Summer, she would..."

"You're married to Summer!?" I hear Cyke exclaim.

"Cyke, you weren't there and she turned to me to pick up the pieces."

"I didn't have a choice! So I get dragged away by the cops and then my best friend marries my girl..."

_Wait...so our Mystery Man Cyke was dating my mom!?_

"Calm down!" I hear my dad shout. "You should thank me; you are alive because of me and Summer's son."

"You have a son?" I hear Cyke ask, intrigued.

"Yes, Scarlet, he's 13. He rescued you from the sea when you tried to cross the Water Barrier."

"Interesting…Sorry, continue with your conditions".

"The Third is that you need to take care of my family when I'm not able to".

"I will protect your family as if they were my own".

"Ok then...I'll help you get across the barrier in the morning."

_Wait...How can he get across the barrier...It's supposed to be impossi..._

I hear a knock on the door as mom walks in.

"Vera, Tyler, that was your parents on the phone... What are you doing?" My mom asks suspiciously.

Vera hastily answers," We got wet, so we were drying off our clothes."

Tyler whispers "Fill us in tomorrow". They both say goodbye and head downstairs with my mom

I put on my pajamas and go to bed. "I'm going to need this sleep because no doubt Dad's going to sneak Cyke out early tomorrow". I set my alarm and fall asleep.

I wake up, and my clock says 5:00. I hear movement downstairs, so I quietly rush downstairs with Cyke's knapsack. Dad looks like he was caught taking the last slice of cake.

"Scarlet, Go back to bed," Dad says.

"But I have Cyke's stuff," I persist, handing the bag to Cyke. He feels around inside and then closes it.

"Well, I don't believe we have been acquainted". He sticks out his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Scarlet, I am Cyke Olagy.

As I shake his hand, he passes one of the orbs that were in his bag into my other hand. He gives me a look that says "Don't tell your father!"

My father looks anxious. "Come on Cyke, I'll help you get back to the beach."

Cyke smirks," Ben... I know this island like the back of my hand...but I would like the company."

He and dad quickly walk out the door, with Cyke staring at me until he is out of sight.

I go back upstairs, wondering what in the world Cyke gave me.

**Chapter 5: Destroy Books, Destroy Reason**

"Let me down, guys!" Vera shouts.

We bend down, bringing Vera back to earth. We were looking in the dusty windows of the Ranger Island Public Library, trying to see if someone was in there. At school, Mrs. Captia had given me a weird look after I captured a Pokémon so easily after "just learned" how to capture. I showed Vera and Tyler the mysterious orb after class, so they wanted to help me find more information about it. We had already searched the school library, but all we found was a mostly blacked-out picture of the orb in question.

"No one's in there," I tiredly sigh. "The library was out best bet of finding information without showing the orb to people."

"Who actually runs the library anyway?" Vera asks.

"Some lady named Jean," I say as I walk back towards home. "I remember her from when my mom got picture books for me".

"Why are we even searching for answers if that orb isn't supposed to be on the island", Tyler shouts. "You heard Mrs. Captia! It's gonna turn you into a cockfight addict!"

"Don't be stupid," I snap. "Besides, you think my parents would notice if I was becoming addicted to something!"

"Hey! Maybe your mom knows, she is a government secretary," Tyler says optimistically for once

. -

We walk into City Hall, where I see my mom is sitting at her desk, typing away.

"Hey kids, what do you need?" she asks as she keeps on typing.

"Do you know who runs the library and where we can find them?" Vera responds. "We needed to do some research for the Pokémon Club."

"Yes, Jean Ratone did before it was shut down."

"Shut down?" I ask

"Yes, when Malus was elected, we as a community agreed to get rid of the majority of books that only talked about "unsavory ideas", and censored the rest. There weren't many books left, so they bought more and moved them to the school's library. If you need to talk to her, she lives at the other end of town in Ratone Mansion."

"You mean the Rathole?" Tyler interrupts

"The Rathole" was the former upperclassmen's name for the mansion because it is overgrown and supposedly filled with junk.

My mom's face gets red. "Tyler Keith Malia! Jean Ratone is a sweet old lady that heavily supports your school. HOW DARE YOU INSULT YOUR ELDERS!"

"Sorry ma'am," Tyler winces as he looked down.

A guy leans out his office door. "Everything ok, Summer?"

Mom looks embarrassed, "Sorry Matt, just go back to work."

We hurriedly leave.

Tyler whispers, "I've come up with a theory that you are only given a middle name so that you can tell when adults are mad at you."

My dad must have been made fun of when he was a kid; his full name is Ben Kellyn-Lunnick Regnar.

When we are a good distance away, Tyler says quickly, "Sorry Scarlet, but I have to go. I'm pretty sure my mom will hear about this". He ran quickly, probably hoping to beat the news home. Vera also said she had to go, so I walked home alone.

I walk towards the Ratone Mansion alone. Tyler got grounded for not treating adults with respect (snicker :), and Vera was on a deadline to finish her portfolio. I kinda feel guilty going by myself, but at the same time I'm excited to get some answers from a person who actually might talk about the effects of the orb.

I ring the doorbell and the door is opened by a very old woman, probably in her late 80's. "I don't want any of your Skinny Mints, they give me indigestion," the woman screeched, slamming the door in my face. I knock on the door again, and she opens it.

"Not another one...Look, I already support the Ranger Scouts directly..."

"Ma'am," I say calmly, "I'm not with the Ranger Scouts and I don't want to sell you cookies. I want to talk to Jean Ratone, the former librarian."

"Speaking," Mrs. Ratone said.

"I wanted to know if you could identify an object I found." I show her the orb. Her irises grow to the size of marbles

"I haven't seen those in years...You better come inside."

I follow her into her house which is extremely dark and cluttered. We walk up a creaky flight of stairs with boxes of papers and magazines on every step, and into a massive library. All the walls are covered in bookshelves crammed with books.

"You're a Regnar, aren't you?" Mrs. Ratone asks as she sat down in an armchair.

"Yes Ma'am, I'm Scarlet Regnar, Ben's son."

She smiles, "I was his godmother ...Well, pull up a chair, I'll tell you all you want to know".

I sit in the armchair across from her which spews a ton of dust.

"Sorry Scarlet, that chair hasn't been sat in since Charles died...As I was saying, what you've got there is a Pokéball".

"A Pokéball?" I ask. "So this is what the cockfighters use to enslave Pokémon?"

"Cockfighters? Who told you that?" Mrs. Ratone asked quizzically.

"My teacher, Mrs. Captia," I said neutrally."

"Well she's been telling you a heap of baloney. There are always exceptions, but most trainers do not try to inflict violent injuries on their opponent's Pokémon (Take that PETA)."

I sit forward in my seat, which unleashes another cloud of dust. "Ok, so what do these so-called Pokéballs do and why have they been telling us false information?"

"You could compare a Pokéball in function to your capture slider, but a Pokémon Trainer uses a Pokéball to contain and transport Pokémon. As for the censorship, the reason most people off Ranger Island believe is that the government wants to keep outside ideas and ideals, good or bad, from influencing Student Rangers."

"So all the adults I know have basically been lying to me," I conclude. I see her eyes moisten.

"Yes... It has to do with an accident almost 20 years ago... I'd rather not talk about it." She wipes her eyes with a handkerchief and changes the subject.

"Where did you get this Pokéball anyway, your father?"

"Why would my father have a Pokéball?" I ask, puzzled.

Mrs. Ratone looks at me, "You mean you didn't know Benny was once a trainer?"

I shake my head. _So now there are at least two secrets that have been kept from me by people I trusted._

"Well, to give you the short version, Benny was a rebellious teenager child with blue hair and dreams of training Pokémon. His father crushed those dreams, sending him off to Fiore to become a Ranger. He eventually liked being a Ranger, and went to school on Almia where his parents had moved. Your grandparents moved again to here shortly after I moved here, and within months your grandma died trying to give birth to Ben's baby brother, who also died. Your father never forgave your grandfather, and left on a mission to Oblivia after your grandfather..." She reaches for a tissue.

"Thanks for telling me this, Mrs. Ratone, but how can I use this Pokéball?"

"Well one of these books probably has the answer. I saved the ones from the library that the Council was going to dispose of entirely." She wipes her eyes and tosses the tissue in the trashcan.

I stand up and scan the shelves. I am drawn to an older edition of the textbook we use in school, so I open it, only to have all the pages come loose.

"I'm so sorry Mrs. Ratone; I'll pay you whatever you want to repair it." I answer, embarrassed.

"No, it was an old book, and you were giving it more use than it's had just sitting on a shelf. It's a pity I don't have newer books..." Mrs. Ratone suddenly stands up and walks over to a bookcase. She removes a couple books covering a small safe and unlocks it with a key on a chain around her neck. She takes out something plastic and the size of a business card that hangs on a lanyard. She shows it to me.

"Do you know what this is?"

I shake my head no. "This is a Student Ranger pass. When the library was still open, I got permission for a Student Ranger Intern of mine to go to Type Island and bring back shipments of books. Malus did a lot of things when he came to power, but he didn't do a great job of updating the list. The library is still technically open, so I am making you my intern. This pass will allow you to take the ferry to Type Island which has a brand new library."

I am speechless. "Why are you giving this to me? You just met me!"

"Because I want to help you show this town the true colors of Pokémon Training. I see the same spirit in you that I saw in your father."

I look at my watch and was shocked that it was already 4:00.

"Thank you so much for enlightening me, Mrs. Ratone, but I really have to leave."

She hands me the Ferry pass.

"Remember, with great power, comes great responsibility. Don't let anyone know you have it except if necessary. Here's a signed note saying you are my "intern" in case anyone doubts your story.

As I walk home, questions keep surfacing in my mind.

_Why does dad never mention my Grandpa? _I_s it just because Grandpa didn't want him to train Pokémon? No...Mrs. Ratone was going to say something about him..._

_ Why did Cyke give this Pokéball to me in the first place?"_

But the most important question I have is, "Why does the island want to so thoroughly want to keep this Pokéball a secret?"

**Chapter 6: There's Gonna Be Fireworks**

I had wanted to use Mrs. Ratone's ferry pass, which I decide to keep between her and I for now, but it had already gotten too late Saturday to go after dinner, and Sunday was already filled in due to church and chores. I had an idea about what to suggest for the upcoming debate, and had Vera give me a hand with a visual aid. I knew that there might be fireworks.

At the beginning of Pokémon Club I bring my bookbag up to the front of the class. Mrs. Whipkey bangs her gavel.

"Order...Order...I hereby announce this session of Pokémon Debate. According to your president, he has a very controversial moral problem involving Pokémon. Scarlet, you have the floor."

I grab my notes. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a topic for debate that is so relevant that it exists on this very island."

I dig a red and white orb out of my backpack. Mrs. Whipkey's eyes widened. I cut her off before she could speak.

"I would bet that a lot of you have never seen this object before, and for good reason: This island does not want you to come into contact with these, and is spreading lies about these objects in order to repulse you. This is a Pokéball, which is used to capture Pokémon. These trainers are nothing like the few vague details the teachers tell us."

"Mr. Regnar, I must ask..."

"This is the question up for debate...Are the lies the island is telling us due to fear of the unknown, or due to the desire to make sure each and every one of the Student Rangers that enter this school becomes brainwashed into thinking that they have to be a Range..."

"SCARLET ALLAN REGNAR!"

A hush falls over the class, and Mrs. Whipkey looks like a completely different person. Her face is tomato red and her eyes are cutting into mine.

"Is there a problem, Mrs. Whipkey?" I coolly ask.

"Go...out...in...the ... hallway... now...!" Mrs. Whipkey barks, and she snatches away the orb. She throws it against the wall and it shatters into a million pieces. You could hear a pin drop.

I speedily walk into the hallway, and Mr. Whipkey slams the door shut after her.

"Mr. Regnar...Did you know that it is against school policy to talk about the subjects you just spoke of?"

"No, but since when was that school policy?" I ask.

"Looks like someone didn't read the Student Ranger Code of Conduct booklet... Listen Scarlet, I like you, so I'll give you a break. I won't tell the principal if you go back in the class and resign from your position..."

"Resign! But it's freedom of expression"

"Either resign or possibly be suspended... you choose. And remember who will hear about this even before the principal does."

I walk back through the door. All eyes are on me.

"I have an announcement to make. Because of a rule in the Code of Conduct that denies me my freedom of speech, I have violated a rule. I hereby announce that I will not just be resigning as president from the Pokémon Club, but will be switching elective as well. Thank you for my term as president.

The bell rings, and as I quickly walked out of the door, with Tyler, Vera, and the others were soon to follow.

Tyler loudly laughs, "I knew she'd get mad... but I didn't think she'd go as far as to throw the clay model!"

Vera hit Tyler. I might have smirked.

"It's not funny, Tyler. Scarlet could have been expelled."

I turned to Vera, "Thanks anyway for making that model... I couldn't the real thing being confiscated."

**Chapter 7: Rock the Boat**

A horde of Pokémon Clubbers followed me into the guidance office during lunch, where they ended up all changing their schedules. I knew that my mom would eventually see my name and connect some dots, but I would rather the confrontation be later than sooner. Seeing all those club members who believed in me gave me an idea.

"Attention everyone. I will be holding a meeting of a NEW Pokémon Club after school at my treehouse. If we can't talk about subjects this at school, we will talk about them outside of school."

My treehouse is pretty big, so we were able to hold the whole Trainger Pokémon Club (Trainer+Ranger).We held an election and I won presidency, Tyler won Treasurer, Vera won Events Coordinator, and other officers were elected. I was beginning to tell the club about the activity for that day, when I heard the rain on my proverbial parade; my father.

"Scarlet, can you come inside for a minute?"

"Sorry guys, it will only take a second."

I climb down and walk into the house. My dad shuts the door.

"Scarlet, do you know why I am home so early today?"

"Well it sure isn't for the club meeting!"

He looks at me, slightly annoyed."Your mother told me that almost 30 Pokémon Club members want to change their Block 2 Elective, and that you were at the top of that list. Would you like to explain?"

I sighed.

"Mrs. Whipkey got real mad after someone tried to debate the morality of Pokémon Training."

"Someone, being you, because no one besides Vera and Tyler would have come in contact with Pokémon Training."

"I don't know...I would have never thought you were a trainer", I countered.

"Whaaaa...How did you?...! I should have known that you would meet Jean one day. So she's the one giving you all these revolutionary ideas."

I smiled, but Dad continued.

"Scarlet, I know you think the rule is unfair, but it still is a rule."

"Yes, but it's more than unfair, it's ill-lawful. We have the right to freedom of speech, and that debate lies within that right."

"I don't disagree with you, but think about this: If you purposely rock the boat, don't act all surprised when you start making waves."

"I understand", I responded, thankful that the lecture went better than expected.

"I'll let you go back to your club."

"Wait!" I stop him before he could go. "Can I borrow Pichu for a demonstration of Poke-Assists?"

"Sure, but I left him at work in the daycare. Can you pick him up?"

I come back 5 minutes later, with Dad's partner, Pichu on my shoulder. Dad had brought him back from his big mission in Oblivia, and he has been with us ever since.

"I don't actually have an activity for today, so this is the end of today's meeting. Let's meet on Saturdays at 3:00, starting this Saturday. This club is dismissed."

Vera and Tyler head off back home to dinner, but I head off into the woods. My parents usually eat a bit later than the rest of the families, due to them both working jobs.

I walk around, with Pichu on my shoulder, until I come upon a Starly in a tree.

"Here goes nothing," I mutter to myself. "Go Pichu"

Pichu jumps off my back towards the Starly, who looks like it would say, "_You messing with me, pipsqueak?"_

"Ummm..." I say to myself, as I think back to that day's Ranger 101 lesson about Poke-Assists.

"Pichu, use ThunderShock!" I command.

Pichu strums its ukulele and fires a tiny bolt of electricity at the Starly, who, taken aback, falls out of the tree.

"Finish it with Thunder!" I shout, and Pichu releases a strong mighty bolt at the disoriented Starly, knocking it off its talons.

I throw the Pokéball, and it hits Starly, sucking it up. It wobbled for a bit, then went still and clicked.

I picked it up and pressed the center button, finding a fainted Starly appearing as if it were pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

"Thanks Pichu, now I'm a _bona fide_ trainer.

I quickly head back to town, and stop at the Ranger Station, where I revive Starly, without showing its Pokéball, of course. As I leave, I see the ferry coming in. I think to myself," You're right dad; I'm gonna rock that boat hard, the first chance I get!"

**Chapter 8: A Tale of Two Cities**

My mom was mad at me when she got home, but the good thing about Mom is that she doesn't hold on to anger for very the saying goes, "It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission."

Vera and I were even able to switch electives to Forensics, but I heard that Tyler got into Art. He couldn't' draw to save his life.

I rushed out of class ahead of Vera and Tyler each day after school to train my Starly, and I even got to see it evolve into a Staravia. I knew that I would need more information on training, more trainer equipment, and most importantly, more Pokéballs. So I couldn't wait until Saturday, the only day where I had a chance to slip away for a few hours.

My parents are home on the weekends, but I usually do day-long hikes on Saturday to explore the island, so I have an alibi. I make sure to leave early, early enough so that only mom is up, so she and Dad won't Double Team me with questions.

Mom usually prepares me a breakfast-on the go, so I get out of the house as quickly as I can, before Tylus and Vera can notice where I am going.

The ferry is parked in the harbor, which transports Rangers to and from Ranger Island. I walk up to the captain, Brian Deepsy.

"G'day Scarlet. What brings you to my ferry?" he asks jovially

I show him the pass.

"Crikey! It's been yonks since I've seen one of those passes. Where'd you get one of those?"

"I'm helping out the librarian, Jean Ratone." I say quickly, hoping he doesn't get too suspicious

That's real nice of you helping out an old lady. Well…better get this ship sailing...Welcome aboard the S.S. Reva!"

I sit down in the stern, with my hat pulled over my brow. The ferry doesn't get much traffic on the weekends, but I don't need any Rangers recognizing me and start asking me questions. I feel the boat pulling out of the harbor into the ocean, and feel the boat shifting as it travels through the Water Barrier.

Have you been amazed by seeing something at a new angle for some reason that you never saw at that angle before? That is how I felt, seeing Ranger Island sinking away into the horizon.

When I arrive at Type Island, I am dumbfounded by the sheer size of it. Ranger Island was a Frisbee compared to this! I see an information booth and walk over to it to it. A woman in her 30's comes to the window.

"Hello and welcome to Type Island! I'm Grace, what's your name?" she cheerfully asks.

"I'm Scarlet, ma'am.

"OK Scarlet, What can I help you with?"

"Yeah, um, I'm here for the Ranger Island Librarian, Jean Ratone, doing research on Pokémon Training. This is my first time here, so I don't know the lay of the land. Do you have a map or something so?"

"Yes Sir!"

Grace opens a filing cabinet and pulls out a map.

"This map shows every street, business, and major attraction this town has to offer."

She grabs a Sharpie and starts writing on my map. She starts to circle a few things.

"First off, here are the ferry times. The ferry normally leaves every 30 minutes, so unless you are really bad of keeping track of time you won't be late or get stranded. Do you have any Pokémon on you?"

I send out Staravia, who starts to fly around, excited to be in a new area.

"A Ranger with a Pokéball, that's something you don't see every day!"

"Yeah...the island doesn't really encourage training," I sheepishly say.

She circles two buildings right next to each other and then points behind the stand.

"Do you see the two buildings over there? One has a giant Pokéball, and the other one has a sign with a blue Pokéball?"

I nod yes.

"That's a Pokémon Center and a Pokémart. Pokémon Centers have many different purposes. You might not know this, but as of next Saturday, Type Island's Pokémon Centers will be hooked up to the Pokémon Storage System. Taking effect next Saturday, you cannot have more than 6 Pokémon at a time, so the Pokémon Centers allow you a place to drop off the extras. They will be sent to wherever you need them, so you can deposit them in one city and withdraw them in another."

"Where do they go when I drop them off?" I ask, worried.

"They are shipped to a place where they are frozen in suspended animation, where they are given food and water. Back to the Center, they also have meals and beds for trainers on the go... the quality is what you'd expect from a place that services thousands of people... but, hey, it's a hot meal and a warm bed. Pokémart are where you can buy Pokéball, basic Pokémon medicine and vitamins, and ta few trainer items. Other stores sell more specialty items"

She then moves up the street and circles two more buildings.

"This is the Neutral Trainer's Club. Free to join, and a great place for you to learn skills and have fun. But what you are looking for is the Type Island Public Library. Any other questions?"

"Yeah", I answer. "Why are there these walls in between the different sections?"

"Some of the different factions have fierce rivalries, so keeping them separate solves a lot of problems. The reason this area is more open is because this area and the circular area in the center of the island is neutral, so anyone can come here away from their factions. The circular area is where the upcoming Type Island Championship is taking place. You think you're gonna sign up?"

"Maybe, but I just have the one Pokémon."

"Well, you still have about 3 months to prepare for it, so there's still time if you change your mind. Anyway, I've kept you for long enough...Here's your map.

She hands me the map, but I have difficulty folding it up.

She smirks. "You know, if you had the Poképad, you could mark on a digital version of this map."

"Poképad?" I ask.

"Oh yeah, sorry. Poképads are like a touch-screen cell phone but with thousands of applications you can download."

"Don't suppose you have one of those lying around in your filing cabinet?" I jokingly ask

"I wish, because then I could stop saving up for one!" She laughs.

"Well, I'm gonna go to the library now, but thank you for all the helpful tips and the map."

"You're welcome! I'll be here if you need any more help."

After that, I stop by the Pokémon Center and get registered as a legit trainer with my own ID card. I even received a coupon which I used to buy 50% of the Trainer's Starter Kit: a big backpack full of Pokéball, medicine, vitamins, and other trainer gear. I walk by the Neutral Trainers' Club, but decided to explore that another day, so I walked up the stone steps into the largest library, even building, I've ever seen.

**Chapter 9: A Good Book is the Best of Friends**

I enter the cool and open building and find myself surrounded by bookshelves packed to the brim with books. I stare in awe until a calm voice asks," Do you need help finding anything?'

I turn and see a librarian at the main desk, stamping books and looking at me.

"Yes ma'am, I wanted to find the books on Pokémon training; like books on the regions, Pokémon, medicines, battle strategies, etc."

She hops down from her chair.

"I'm Mrs. Turner, the head librarian of the Type Island Public Library. Just follow me...um...what is your name?"

"Scarlet Regnar, ma'am"

"Regnar...any chance you're related to Ben?"

"He's my dad, ma'am. Did you know him?"

"Yes…He came here as often as he could, looking at the same type of books that you want to find. I might even have his checkout list..." She says as she walks to her desk, looking through its drawers.

"I don't like these new-fangled computers, they're too unreliable...ah, here it is!"

She grabs a yellow paper with ink scribbled on it.

"Let me show you 'round"

We walk past the fiction section, where I see a bunch of stories about trainers and their Pokémon. As I walk by, I grab a copy of _A Leaf in the Wind _by someone named Awesome Kitteh...And I thought that my dad's name was weird.

We walk to a big collection of bookshelves with study rooms behind them.

"Here we are! This is our trainer reference section. If you can't find something, come to the front desk. You'll be able to check out at any time with your Trainer ID Card."

'Thank you." I said, and she walked back through the labyrinth of books. I start going on a book grabbing spree. As I grab the books that my dad enjoyed twenty years ago, I also grab books that catch my eye: those on Pokémon, regions, medicine, battle strategy, trainer items, well; the list goes on and on. I carry my stack of books to one of the study rooms, sit down in a very comfy rolly chair, and start reading. I start with The _Study of the Regions._

Suddenly, the door bursts open and in runs a guy my age with blue hair and a sleeveless t-shirt. He closes and locks the door, but I don't think he sees me behind the books.

"Phew!" he breaths tiredly.

Then I hear a knock at the door, but like it was a secret knock that children develop for clubhouses. The boy unlocks and opens the door and a girl with a green bandana and shirt walks in.

"Hey Jade," He says as he closes and make sure that the door locks.

"I always worry about accidently walking in on an ordinary patron who just happens to open the door," Jade jokes.

"Well, at least there's nobody here; that would really be awkward," the boy responds.

"Yeah, that WOULD really be awkward!" I say, smiling, as I stand up from behind the castle of books. "Next time, if you want to have a hide-and-seek match with strangers in public places, make sure to send me an invitation first"

They both look scared out of their skins.

"Sorry, uh...We didn't mean to ...", the guy stammers.

"Dude", I say calmly, "...It's alright. You didn't really disturb me... but you should have seen the looks on your faces when I stood up!" I laugh. "But seriously, what are you doing running around the library and hiding in study rooms?'

"Well, let's just say we are trying to hide from two tyrants who are willing to go to great extents in order to keep us under wraps." Jade says firmly.

"What do you mea...?"

"OPEN THE DOOR AQUA! I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE!" A loud and angry masculine voice comes from outside as I hear banging on the door."

Aqua looks at us." What am I gonna do?" he whispers nervously.

"Well we can't just wait 'till they get tired at yelling at a door and go away! What if they try something drastic?" The girl asks.

OK...I CAN HEAR YOU WHISPERING IN THERE! I'LL GIVE YOU FIVE SECONDS BEFORE I BREAK THIS DOOOOOR DOOOOWWWN!

We heard a couple warning "BANG's". I start to walk over to the door.

"Let me handle this!" I whisper.

"No!" they both hiss.

I open the door, but block the space with my body so the people outside cannot see in. I see a tall, muscular man with a blue Afro. "I AM GONNA KIL...wait...you're not Aqua!" The man says, surprised.

"Can I help you, because you just rudely interrupted my class's review session for our final exams?" I respond matter-of-factly.

"Yes", I'm Martin Agetuo, and I was wondering if you saw my boy." He shows a picture, which shows Aqua, the guy I'm trying to hide.

"I've didn't see them when I was looking around earlier, and the rest of the time I've been in here." I said.

Mr. Agetuo sighs. "Well if you do see them, go to the Water Faction and tell the receptionist at the gateway that...ummm... what's your name?"

"Scarlet Regnar."

"Tell the receptionist that Scarlet Regnar wants to chat with either Mr. Agetuo, ok?"

He turns and leaves, so I shut and lock the door.

"Thanks, Scarlet. That is your real name, right?" the girl asks.

"Yep! Um…I didn't catch your name…"

"My apologies…I am Jade Stone."

"So, how do you two know each other?" I ask, curiously.

"We both share a common goal: Being free from a parent who wants us to be the things that we aren't. In my case, my dad wants me to take over his position as leader of the Water Faction. I fear that I would just become a puppet for him." Aqua says.

"My mom has been trying to turn me into a lady, and won't let me train because it's not like woman to battle," Jade scoffs. "I have to sneak away from cotillion to get some freedom. What about you Scarlet? You're obviously not from here, so why are you here?" Jade asks.

"Well, I live on Ranger Island, where they shelter us and try to hide Pokémon training from us in order to brainwash us all into becoming Rangers. Any information that we get is highly skewed. I'm trying to keep out of sight of my parents, friends, and basically anyone who would dislike me training Pokémon.

"So...It's not that I don't like having study room parties, but what now?" Aqua asks.

"I am kinda getting hungry!" I say."

"Yeah…me too. Let's grab some grub at the Pokémon Center." Aqua agrees.

"Maybe we could show you around the island a bit." Jade proposes.

Aqua and Jade help me carry all my books to the checkout counter, and after I put them in my new backpack, we set out on our own adventure.

**Chapter 10: I'm Just a Bill**

You know when you're doing something that you enjoy, time seems to speed up. Then you end up thinking, "Where did all the time go?" That's what happened today. Aqua, Jade, and I did some touristy stuff in the Normal and Neutral Factions, and after checking my watch, I discovered that I had missed the 2:00 ferry ride. We decided to meet up the next Saturday for some more sightseeing. I did catch the 3:00 ferry, which put me 15 minutes late for the Trainger Club Meeting

I ran the whole way from the dock to the treehouse, where everyone was waiting.

"What took you so long?" Tyler asks. I could detect a severe lack of patience in his tone.

"Sorry everyone. I accidentally dropped my Styler in a crevice on the opposite side of the island, took me 15 minutes to get it out. Actually...", I say, embarrassed," …Do you guys mind if we start the meetings at this time all the time?'

"Why?" Tyler asks, interested"

That catches me off guard.

"Uhh...because it provides more time for everyone." I say, floundered.

"What's in that new backpack of yours?" Vera juts in. I think, "THANK YOU, VERA!"

I start unloading a few of the books.

"These books are all about Pokémon Training, so we can see their views on the subject." I say.

"Where'd you get those?" Tyler asks, knowing he's hit a sensitive vein.

"Mrs. Ratone's house." I lie. I can't let my secret get out.

"These look awfully new for something Mrs. Pat Rat would have in her house." Tyler says. He looks like a police interrogator.

I rage. "FOR YOUR INFORMATION...MRS "PAT RAT" HAS BEEN USING HER MONEY TO SHIP TYPE ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY BOOKS ONTO THE ISLAND SECRETLY. THAT'S WHERE I WAS, AT THE DOCKS, WAITING FOR THE SHIPMENT TO COME IN SO THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TIME TO SEARCH THEM!"

Next thing I know, Tyler is on the floor of the treehouse with a bloody nose and everyone is looking at me with shocked looks on their faces. Also, my hand hurts...

Tyler quickly climbs down the ladder, quickly followed by Vera. I make an executive decision and adjourn the meeting, and they club members gradually trickle out.

I tried to apologize to Tyler at school, but he wouldn't talk to me. At least he didn't snitch on me, because I would have heard something from my parents if he did. Vera went home after school each day instead of hanging with one of us, probably to show her neutrality. As bad as this sounds, I actually enjoyed this time to myself. Since I'd been hiking all around the island since I was little, I knew where even the rarest Pokémon were on the island.

After school on Monday, I went hiking in search for Pokémon to catch. I caught a Sandile on the beach I had found Cyke. I then caught a Scyther out in the middle of the woods. I then caught Blitzle in an open field, but found a Joltik clinging to me, so I caught that also. To keep it an even 6 Pokémon, I stopped catching after Heatmor, who I found near the geysers. It's weird, because I was able to catch the Pokémon very quickly and efficiently. I read about a girl in the Johto Region who could catch a ton of Pokémon in a short amount of time, but I would never actually get to meet her. The closest main region to the Invenovia Archipelago is Unova, which is already very far away from Johto. I spent the rest of the week training in the woods. I couldn't wait for Saturday to come so I could show Aqua and Jade.

"So this is ComUnity Stadium?" I ask Jade and Aqua.

"Yep, this is the stadium where the contest is held every 5 years. Each Faction decides upon their champion, and then all of the champions compete in events that test an aspect of a Pokémon Trainer. This year it is Cleverness." Aqua said as he showed us around the outside of the stadium.

"How do they decide the Champion from each faction?' I inquire.

"Each faction does it a bit differently. Most of the "nice" ones do it by a contest. My faction's champion will be decided by my dad, so you know..." Aqua sighs.

"My father was the faction leader, but now the seat went to the first available champion after my father. I've met with him, and he wants to choose me, but for political reasons", Jade cuts in.

"Political Reasons?" I ask

"My mom has a lot more power in the Grass Faction than anyone else. If I'm declared the next Faction Leader, her power will be upset by mine." Jade responds.

We hear a ruckus in a nearby alleyway, so we take a peak.

We see a guy in his early 20's getting pushed up against a wall by two other shady-looking guys, one fat and one skinny. The muggee has puffy hair, a blue suit and tie, and olive pants.

"Look y'all, I don't want any trouble. I'm just an ordinary folk, so let me go!" the muggee pleads.

Sorry, no can do bub. I hear ya have the passwords to the Pokémon Storage System. The boss won't be too happy 'bout this if we don't bring ya back." one of the muggers says as he hits the muggee, knocking him down.

Aqua gasps. "I know that voice! That's Sal T., a no good crook from my faction. I bet that's his brother Lenny is the other one!"

"We have to do something. That's someone important!" I say.

"I'll handle this." Aqua whispers, and heads into the alley.

"If it isn't Sal and Lenny T", Aqua smiles as he moves closer. "I don't think my dad or the Neutral Police will be happy to see you here, mugging a businessman."

"Aqua, you do NOT want to challenge us, bub. It's 2 vs. 1. Run away while I'm not in the mood to pummel you."

I step into the alley. "Make that a 2 on 2."

Jade whispers, I'm gonna get the police."

Sal smiles a yellow grin." I see how it is Aqua; have your lady friend and Dudley Do-Right save you.

I feel myself get hot. "I am a Pokémon Ranger, and I am perfectly capable of beating both you up. Go, Joltik!

When Joltik comes out, Sal and Lenny start to laugh.

"A tiny Pokémon for a tiny ego, that's a Shocker! HAhahahah"

"Go Feebas!" says Sal

"Go Magikarp!" says Lenny

I crack up. "And I thought you said Joltik was a bad choice"

"Let's get done with this already, go Tirtouga!" Aqua says.

"Tirtouga, use Aqua Jet on Feebas!"

"Joltik, use Thunder Wave on Tirtouga's Aqua Jet!"

Both Pokémon combine their attacks and faint Feebas. Lenny looks worried and takes a step back.

"Don't tell me, you only have 1 Pokémon!?" Sal angrily asks.

"My other Magikarp evolved...so I sold it." Lennie says sheepishly

"THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN!" Sal raged.

"While these imbeciles are having this discussion, let's end this!" Aqua whispers to me

"Tirtouga, use Aqua Jet on those imbeciles!"

"Joltik, trap them with Electroweb!"

5 seconds later, and the two crooks are wet and convulsing from the Electroweb. Joltik also started sparkling, like Starly did when it evolved into Staravia. Then a bright light blinds everyone for a few seconds, and there I see Galvantuala in its place.

"Well at least that's over with." Aqua says, relieved.

"No…it ...isn't", Sal says. "Magikarp, use Splash!"

Magikarp bounces around a bit, then stops.

"Well well well! Look at what we have here!" I hear someone say behind me.

I turn around and see two police officers, one with a donut and a mustache, the other clean-shaven with dark sunglasses, followed by Jade and a woman.

"I'm Officer Lawrence and this is Officer Jordan of the Invenovia Police", says the clean-shaven police officer.

"Good job apprehending Sal and Lenny Tappini, guys! You ever thought about becoming police officers?" asks Officer Jordan as more police come and take the two away."

"Well Pokémon Rangers sometimes have to play policeman, so I guess so, in a way." I responded.

"..What in tarnation happened?" I also hear.

The muggee slowly stands up and takes in the scene.

"Bill, you alright?" Officer Lawrence asks

"I guess so. I was hooking up the Pokémon Storage Systems when I got lassoed into this alleyway by those varmints. Good thing my paperwork wasn't stolen!"

"It's a good thing these two trainers were able to apprehend the criminals while another went to Eunice to get us!" said Officer Jordan.

"Well thank y'all for comin' to my rescue. What's ya names?" Bill asked.

"Aqua Agetuo"

"Jade Stone"

"I'm Scarlet Regnar, Bill... wait! You're THE BILL? Like the one who created the Pokémon Storage System and is on the Pokémon Association, all the way from Kanto!?" I said excitedly.

"The one an' only. I'm also a good friend of the Pokédex holders and Professor Oak."

"Wow... I've heard of them, their job seems so exciting. Traveling through new areas, seeing new Pokémon."

Bill smiles "I agree! "Well, I have to skedaddle, but y'all can put yur' lunch on my tab today. Police and Eunice included." Bill says, and he runs off in the direction of another faction.

"Excuse me, Scarlet, Aqua, and Jade? I'm Eunice, leader of the Neutral Faction. Do you mind you eat with me today so we can discuss some matters?" the lady asks.

Jade looked at me. "I think you definitely want to hear her out!"

"Ok, I'll come." I say, intrigued.

We ate in a cafeteria on the second floor of the Neutral Trainer's Club. All of our Pokémon are eating together on the ground. The ground floor is a bunch of different arenas, lecture halls, databases, and at least a hundred trainers.

"As you all know, I am Eunice, the head of the Neutral Faction. Jade came to me to call the police, and I was able to catch most of your battle. It was amazing, to say the least. I know Aqua and Jade already have a Faction that they both will most likely be representing, but Scarlet, I want to ask you to participate in our preliminaries to decide our champion."

"Wow, you think I was that good?"

"You were a better battler than anyone I've ever seen. How long have you been training?"

"About two weeks, ma'am."

"There you go. You already have so much talent for only training two weeks, imagine what you could accomplish with 3 months of experience!"

"What do I do?" I ask, feeling good about myself.

"All of you can come to training on Saturdays here from 8:00 to 2:00. Then in three months, we have the Neutral Championship, where we have a contest similar to the actual Type Island Championship in order to decide who we are sending. Then we have 1 on 1 training until the Type Island Championship a month later."

"What happens if I win?"

"You receive a ton of trainer's items, publicity, sponsorships, and most importantly, my job once I want to move on."

"Wow..." I say, speechless.

"So, wanna join the Neutral Trainers Club, Scarlet?"

"Sure! ".

"Finish up lunch, because we have a LOT of work to do.

**Chapter 11: Making Waves**

Eunice let Aqua and Jade also join in on the Neutral Trainer Club class and they blended right in. We met a ton of people who wanted to work as hard as us and welcomed us with open arms. We worked until after the class was technically over, and even when we left, people were still battling. It gave me a new appreciation for our new friendship and my new hobby.

I felt content as I rode back on the ferry, plowing through the ocean. As it started to pull into the dock, I saw the island in a new light.

Dock workers running to and fro...a boy running...

...in the direction of my house...

...a boy running into my house

...a boy who looks like Tyler running into my house

...a boy who is Tyler running into my house...

...Tyler running from the docks, where he was waiting for me, to check my alibi

...Tyler, running to my house, to rat on me!

I run home, and open the door to find Tyler talking to my mom and dad.

"Scarlet, go to your room" my dad says

"You believe him before hearing my side?!" I counter.

"Scarlet!" my dad says again.

I go up. I learned at an early age to not push an issue with my father involved.

I hope you got some satisfaction out of squealing on me, Tyler, because you won't have any for a while when I'm through with you.

I quickly hide my bookbag under a couple of loose floorboards before I hear the foreboding steps of my father, which were the clip-clopping of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

He opens my door, and I mentally start formulating his arguments and knocking them out of submission. He sits down at my desk, we face each other, and for a while we don't say anything.

Finally he sighs and says, "Scarlet, what were you doing on the 3:00 incoming ferry?"

I'm in a pretty tight situation. I decide to come clean, because he could easily get a ton of evidence if I lied.

"I was returning from a busy day of training."

"Pokémon Training?!"

"Yes! Pokémon Training, the horror! All you Rangers treat it like those two worlds are black and white, never to cross except at the tiniest line. These two worlds are greyer and more alike than you think, and each contributes to a better understanding of the other. You should understand, based on your background as a trainer!"

"Why? Answer me that. Why are you so adamant about trying to hold on to your position?" my dad asks.

"Because I've had a taste of that life, and at least that life doesn't try to hide from Rangers or treat it like it's a disease. In Training, I have made friends that I wanna keep for a lifetime, and I feel so content doing it. Even one of the top trainers on that island says I have a knack of it that could beat the best people on this planet. So go ahead and punish me for using loopholes and lying. Get it over with so I can go back as soon as I can."

"I didn't know how much this meant to you... ok, go outside with your friends."

"And my punishment?"

"Do whatever you want. They are your waves to make. Just make sure your grades don't go down, and make sure that I think you do your best on your exams."

I get up and open my door

"One more thing. Don't provoke Tyler. He may have wronged you, but at least be civil."

"Ok."

My mom is waiting outside my room.

"Ben, can I talk to you for a minute?"

She and dad walked into their room and shut the door. I put my ear against the door to listen in on their conversation:

"You gave him no punishment?!" I hear my mom exclaim. "What are you teaching him?"

"I am teaching him to stand up for his beliefs and to follow his dreams."

"Look what has happened because Scarlet wanted to train Pokémon: He talks back to his teacher..."

"He didn't talk back; he respectively voiced his opinion."

"He broke rules by leaving the island"

"He found a loophole in a corrupt political system"

"So you're his council now?"

"Summer, the boy can make his own decisions, and will deal with the consequences. Like him listening in on our private conversation will get him in trouble if he doesn't leave in the next five seconds."

I leave quickly. I had dodged Dad's major bullet, I wouldn't want to be wounded by a tiny slug.

Tyler flips out when he sees me.

"That's it, I quit!"

He climbs down the ladder.

"Why are you quitting?" I ask, concerned.

"Because the guilty are walking free!" He snarls as he runs away. I want to go after him, but I decide to give him some alone time.

Vera comes to me with a disappointed look. "The club met while you were gone and decided to hold off on the club until further notice."

I sit down on one of the ladder's rungs.

"This is all my fault." I sigh. "If only I hadn't punched Tyler, then this wouldn't have happened.

"Tyler was acting like a jerk. Maybe punching him wasn't the best way to solve this, but being so irritating and snitching on you was pretty beneath Tyler is pretty beneath him.

"Thanks Vera, but I have a confession. I sigh again. "Tyler was right; I am Pokémon training on Type Island. I used a ferry pass that Mrs. Ratone's old intern used. I missed the ferry two weeks ago, and that's why I was late to the club meeting."

"Why didn't you tell us the truth?" Vera asks

"I didn't want anyone to find out in fear that I would be trapped on this island until I became a Ranger. I didn't trust the club to keep that big and dangerous of a secret."

"I understand your reasoning. Don't worry; I'll keep your secret safe with me."

"You are a great friend Vera."

Vera looks at her watch

"I have to go, Scarlet, but I'll see you tomorrow for our study session." Vera said cheerfully.

"Is Tyler coming?" I ask, unsure whether I want her to say yes or no

"No...he told me that he thought it was best to study alone for the exams…but anyway, bye!"

"Bye..." I say

I watch her turn and leave. I stand there until my mom calls me in for dinner, feeling something I never felt before. It might have been love, it might have been regret.

**Chapter 12: Put to the Test**

1 month later...

I had made sure that I studied as hard for my exams as I trained which wasn't easy to do. I studied at school all day, then trained and studied all afternoon, and studied at night with Vera. We asked Tyler multiple times if he wanted to join us, but he declined every time. He looked at me as if I had murdered someone or stolen something priceless to him. I was able to evolve all my Pokémon to their highest evolutionary phase, so now I had Staraptor, Galvantula, Heatmor, Scizor, Zebstrika, and Krookodile.

Our exam week was the same week when the Neutral Preliminaries would take place, so the pressure was on. Forensics was an easy exam, because I liked the subject. I even received a real forensics kit, like the Crime Scene Investigators use. The hardest was the Ranger Aptitude test. It had multiple parts: field moves, capturing, Pokémon knowledge, Geography of Ranger Regions, history, etc... And of course it had to be the day before the Prelims...I was bone-tired, but I knew I had to succeed.

Each Faction holds Preliminaries on the same day; the Saturday 6 weeks from the Tournament. In actuality it's much like the days I trained in the Trainer's Club, except now there were the people who expected to reap the benefits without weeding the crop. There were going to be a lot more jerks, and I was just going to have to kill them with truth and kindness. Like Paul said in Romans 12:21,"_Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good"._

The Neutral Trainer's Club is packed from head to toe. Trainers of all shapes and sizes are crowded around the registration desk while volunteers frantically try to keep the lines moving. I get myself registered and I file into the auditorium with the rest of the trainers. I know that it seats somewhere around 500 people, and now the trainers are sitting on the ground or on the stage's edge. Finally, Eunice walks onto the stage with a clipboard crammed with papers.

"Welcome everyone to the Neutral Preliminaries. Now, let's get this over with quickly. You will be taking an aptitude test that will judge your knowledge of Pokémon. Cleverness is this year's theme, so you will need it in order to outsmart your opponents in battle. The top 16 out of our 600 trainers registered will move on to the next round."

Eunice then shows where we will be testing by our last names. Everyone gets up and walks out of the auditorium to their designated testing locations. I sit down in a room with 10 other people, and open my test.

We all head back to the auditorium, and my head is swimming from trying to remember all that information. I knew most of it, but some of the questions were very unorthodox. We wait for an eternity before an image is projected onto the screen:

**Scarlet-Joel Brandon-Alyssa John-Kristen Kate-Anthony**

**(Rm 1) (Rm 2) (Rm 3) (Rm 4)**

**Cobb-Abby Kathleen-Jessica James- Corbin Josh-Taylor**

** (Rm 5) (Rm 6) (Rm 7) (Rm 8)**

****I'm flabbergasted that I even placed, but for me to get 1st place out of six hundred people...

Eunice reappears onto the stage." These are the 16 people who scored the highest on the tests. All others may either leave or stay and watch the battles. 8 battling pairs have been made, and those two people will fight with one Pokémon each. Please go to your designated arena and good luck!

**Trainger Scarlet vs. Geek Joel**

Remember what I said earlier about that there were going to be a lot more jerks here that when I was training? Here ya go...

I walk into the arena and am promptly greeted with, " **STAR TREK IS BETTER THAN STAR WARS, DR. WHO IS BETTER THAN SHERLOCK!  
**

I see a guy about my age, who I assume to be Joel. He has uncombed hair, glasses, and a taunting look in his eyes.

"SO, YOU'RE THE "TRAINGER"...CAN YOU EVEN SPELL?"

I feel my face get hot, but then Eunice walks in.

"I am monitoring this battle, because I do have the right to kick a trainer out for unsportsmanlike conduct, do you understand me Joel?"

"Yes ma'am..." Joel mumbles.

"Let's get this started," Eunice announces. "Joel, you had the lower score on the test...

"WHAT!"

"Just start."

"OK! EXPLOUD...GO!"

A beastly looking Pokémon with blue and yellow pipes coming out of its head appears.

I decide to taunt the taunter a bit.

"Go Staraptor!" I smugly shout.

"NO FAIR!" Joel shouts, outraged.

"Use Fly" I say

"EXPLOUD, USE UPROAR!"

Exploud starts shooting blue waves at Staraptor, who dodges them with skill

"Use Brave Bird!" I shout

Staraptor dives and hits Exploud, causing it to faint.

"WHAT THE HECK! YOU ARE A CHEATER! NO WAY CAN MY LEVEL 40 EXPLOUD FAINT TO THE LIKES OF..." Joel uproars.

Eunice steps in.

"Joel, you lost fair and square. Please leave peacefully or I will have to kick you out."

He storms out, and Eunice follows him, presumably to collect the data. A minute or two later, and she returns and the TV in the corner of the room turns on, displaying the new matchups:

**Scarlet-Brandon Kristen-Anthony Abby- Kathleen James-Josh**

**(Rm 1) (Rm 2) (Rm 3) (Rm 4)**

**Single Battle. 2 Pokémon Total.**

**Trainger Scarlet vs. Foodie Brandon**

I stay in my room, and a few seconds later, a short, Asian guy my age walks in carrying chips, cookies, and munching on some cinnamon sugar twist.

"mmhmmhHellmmllmmo, I'm Brmmnmandmmmnmon."

What?"

He swallows the twist and opens a bag of Cheetos.

"I said I'm _crunch crunch _Brandon."

"No food in the arena, club rules" Eunice says.

He looks mortified

"No _crunch crunch crunch_ food?...Fine_...crunch crunch_.

He sets his stuff down, wipes of his Cheetoey hands on his jacket, and grabs two Pokéballs.

"Brandon, you had the lower score on the test, so send out your first Pokémon."

"Ok... Go Vanillite"

Brandon looks at Vanillite

"Ooohh, free ice cream!" Brandon excitedly shouts

"No!" Eunice and I scream.

He licks Vanillite, causing it to melt/ faint.

"Brandon, get out...I cannot have you eating Pokémon!" Eunice shamefully orders.

"Ok_ crunch crunch crumble crunch._" He says, picking up his Cheetos

He walks out and I sit down and twiddle my thumbs for a while. After Eunice leaves, the standings are broadcasted:

**Scarlet-Anthony Kathleen-James**

**(Rm1) (Rm 2) **

**Trainger Scarlet vs. Writer Anthony**

**Single Battle. 3 Pokémon Total.**

****"Hiya!" my next opponent shouts loudly and excitedly. He is a Hispanic kid with a goatee and a notebook with Pokémon TealSea written on the cover.

"I'mAnthonyandIwritefanfictionwhereIusemyfriendsas characterswhodocrazythings..."

"Slow down!" I yell, trying to cut him off.

Eunice comes back in.

"Let's hurry this up a bit. Anthony, start us off."

"OkgoLuxio!"

"Go Krookodile!"

"LuxiouseSpark!"

Luxio shoots a spark at Krookodile, but it hardly looks fazed.

"Krookodile, use Earthquake!"

The club started shaking as a fissure ran through the battlefield, which causes Luxio's paws to fall in to a small crack.

"GetoutofthereLuxio!"

Luxio's paws are pinned.

"Krookodile, use Crunch!"

"Krookodile leaps and sinks its teeth into Luxio. It sinks down and faints.

"YoumayhavefaintedLuxiobutyou'llneverfaintPorygon2 "

Anthony sends out Porygon2. I was fortunate enough to study its evolutionary chain, and learned that without careful planning, its signature move could neuter a perfect team of Pokémon.

Krookodile, Use Earthquake!"

Another tremor occurs, causing Porygon2 to fall in to a crack.

"UseConversion2!"

Porygon2 now looks like it's made of feathers. I wouldn't have personally used that move there…but hey...it's one step closer to the Championships.

"Use Crunch!"

Feathery Porygon2 looks like a chicken being chomped on by my Krookodile. It faints instantly.

"Urgg...nowivegotyou!GoLilligant!"

Anthony sends out a Grass Type Pokémon...I decide to change up my strategy.

"Come back Krookodile...Go Heatmor!"

The room gets even hotter as my fiery anteater Pokémon comes out.

"CrapCrapCrap!" Anthony hits himself with his notebook.

"Heatmor, use Inferno!"'

The move was aptly named, because I am knocked back because of the intense heat. Lilligant is fried to a crisp, and Anthony is screaming bloody murder. I assume it's because he lost the match, and then I see what he's carrying...the charred remains of his notebook.

"Nooooooooo! THAT WAS MY ONLY COPY OF MY BOOOOOOOOOOOOOKKKKKK!"

He runs out of the room after retrieving his Lilligant, and I hear breaking glass. Eunice runs out of the room, and I follow her and head to the auditorium.

Most of the people are still here for the finals. Aqua and Jade are here also.

"Hey guys, how did it go?" I ask after walking up to them.

"We both won." Aqua said cheerfully. "How did your session go?"

"Good...but I went up against an angry trainer, a person who almost ate his Pokémon, and a crazy fanfic writer. I hope the other finalist is normal."

Eunice looks frazzled as she walks back onto the stage.

"Sorry everyone. A semi-finalist got so irate after losing that he broke a window and clogged up the restroom. But putting that aside, let's welcome our two finalists to the stage for the final battle.

**Trainger Scarlet vs. SWAGMASTA James**

**Single Battle. 4 Pokémon Total.**

An Asian boy walked up onto the stage with slick hair and glasses.

"Yo I'm James and I'm gonna beat you b'cause well y'know...YOLO"

"Yolo?" I ask puzzled

"If you no know Yolo, you got no SWAG"

Eunice stands between us.

"James, you scored less on the test. Please send out your Pokémon.

"YOLO!"

James sends out a Voltorb, apparently named YOLO. I decide to play it safe.

"Go Krookodile!"

"Krookodile, use Earthquake!"

The stage shakes a lot, and a fissure opens up, swallowing up Voltorb.

"YOLO, use Self-Destruct!"

"Cra..." I start

_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM_

Both Pokémon are lying on the ground, dead.

"What was that for?" I ask

"Well, y'know, cause YOLO! Go MMMMMAAAARRRKKK NNNNUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!"

A Seedot come out of his Pokéball.

"Go Heatmor!"

"Heatmor, use Inferno!"

It might have been overkill, but I didn't want James blowing up any more Pokémon.

"Well, SHABUYA!"

James sends out Kabutops

"Use Inferno again!"

I almost feel sorry for him...almost.

"Well, at least we can have some...FREEDOM!"

James sends out a Braviary.

I decide to keep on using what works and I tell Heatmor to use Inferno again.

Braviary looks more like fried chicken than an eagle when it hits the ground still sizzling.

"You actually got some SWAG...BLAZE IT!" James shouts, jumping off the stage onto a chair and parcouring up to the exit.

Eunice walks over to me. "And Scarlet Regnar wins the Neutral Preliminaries, making him the trainer we send to the championships."

Balloons and confetti drop from the ceiling, and everyone is clapping, but I'm not celebrating yet...this was hard, but I feel that even winning one battle in the real tournament would be a win.

**Chapter 13: A Boatload of Crime**

-  
1 week later...

Time: Midnightish...

Place: ?

POV: ?...

-

_Bang...Bang...BANGGG! _I pound the hammer onto the chisel. _Bang...Bang...BANGGG!_

I've been doing this for at least an hour, and even though I ache, I am determined to finish the job. A few more bangs, and the chisel has broken the exterior...no way that _he _will be able to leave on this boat tomorrow.

I decide to widen out the hole while I still have time. I can't make this an easy fix! I keep pounding, even though I can't see that well. The light of the moon isn't all that helpful.

_Bang...Bang...AAAAaAGGGGGHHHHHH!_

-

Time: 6:00 AM

Place: Ranger Island Harbor

POV: Scarlet

-

"This cannot be happening!" I exclaim angrily. "I have somewhere I need to be at 10:00 today, and you're saying the boat's broke and can't be fixed until tomorrow!?.

I had woken up early to get some more training in at the Neutral Club before the Championships today, only to find out that the boat has a hole in it.

"Youse think that you're berko? My boat gets a hole punched in it by some bushranger bloke and no one cares. No one. I ain't even gotten a police officer to take a gander!" Brian rages.

"Wait...so no one has investigated the crime scene yet?" I ask, curiously.

"No...Why?" Brian asks.

"I passed my Forensics 101 exam...I'll examine the crime scene!" I eagerly say

"I dunno...I really should wait for an officer..."

"What officer? I'll get you results now! My fee is you trying your hardest to get the ferry fixed by 9:30."

"Aye…But ain't you gonna need the boat for the investigation?" Brian asks as he walks me towards his boat.

"Nope!" I say as I dig around in my sack and pull out a camera." I'll take plenty of pictures, so you can get to work as soon as you can."

We walk up to the boat, which has a large hole just above the water level.

"Tell me, what time you last saw the boat untouched and when you first noticed it vandalized." I ask.

"I anchored the ferry at 10:00 last night, and I went to bed in my cabin quarters at around 11:00.I woke up at 12:20 after hearing a scream outside the boat. When I went to investigate, I saw this kid break off, so I ran to track him down."

"So why do you think this is a male adolescent?" I ask, writing this all down.

"Because the scream sounded like a bloke, and it was short for an adult. But that ain't all, I know another reason. When I tracked the kid, he ran towards the schoolhouse, and after running there, I saw a bloke enter the building, and you know that only teachers and students have access.

_He's talking about the keycards. Each Ranger has one, similar to a Trainer's ID Card. The school has a keycard system that allows access to teachers and students twenty-four-seven._

"So what did you do after chasing the suspect into the building?"

"I did a good-old-fashioned stakeout for about two hours...but then I must've fallen asleep, because I remember waking up at about 5:00. Since then I've stayed by the boat

"So you have no account of the events that took place from 11:00 to 12:20 and from 2:00 to 5:00 correct?"

"That's correct"

_That's not really a strong testimony, Brian. I hope I get some good evidence or I won't have much of a foundation to make an accusation..._

"Okay...that should be it...Just let me finish documenting the evidence and you can start working on your boat."

"Thanks, Scarlet...But you have to know, I can't make any promises to getting the boat done on time, but I'll try as hard as I can." Brian says."

"Hey, Scarlet!" I hear from behind me. I turn and see Vera walking up. "Why aren't you on the ship?"

"Because someone decided to rain on my parade and poke a hole in the ship."

"What! Who would want to do that to you?"

"I don't know..." I answer as I pull out the rest of my forensic gear.

"Hey Vera, do you mind if you give me a hand documenting the evidence?"

"Sure, Scarlet." Vera says, but I can see a glint of disappointment in her eyes, probably because she knows how much this competition means to me. But I haven't given up yet...

Vera takes out her camera that she uses to take photos for art class, and we walk closer on the damp dock in order to get a better look.

She snaps a few pictures of the boat, and I notice something reddish-brown around the hole. I sniff, and I smell iron...blood. I get a swab and collect some of the blood.

"This hole looks like it's been chiseled, like with a hammer," Vera reports. "This would take a long time to break the hull, probably chiseling for a straight hour.

I spray some luminol, and the bottom left side of the hole lights up with a faint blue hue. More traces of blood.

"Let's think this through," Vera ponders." How many people know that you were going to take the ferry today?

"You, Me, my Mom and Dad, Jean Ratone, and Tyler," I answer..."Wait! Brian also knew that I was going.

"Rule out Me, You, and Jean, and that leaves your Mom and Dad... But you wouldn't think they would do this?" Vera asks

_I don't tell her this, but I'm only ruling out Jean and myself for now. I don't think it is Vera, but there is no evidence that proves her innocence right now. Evidence is everything._

"Of course not," I lie.

"So that leaves Brian and Tyler...Speaking of Tyler, have you seen him today?" Vera asks.

"No...but I haven't really spoken to him since the club disbanded." I admit. I look down to avert Vera's gaze, and see something on the dock.

"Wait a minute..." I kneel down and use a card to collect some grey powdery dust with some tiny rocks mixed in.

"What does this look like to you?" I ask

"Stone dust, like from an engraving or..." Vera answers

"...a chisel, right?" I finish.

"Ok, so we know a person, possibly a teenage male, used what we think is a hammer and chisel to punch a hole in the hull of the ferry, between the hours of 10:00 to 12:20, then fled the scene...that's not that much to go on.."

"Really...might I add a few things? There were traces of blood on the lower left side of the hole. I think that the vandal is going to have a cut on his left hand. If a hammer and chisel is used, then a right handed person will be holding the chisel with his left hand. I bet "he" cut himself with the chisel, which made him scream, collaborating with Brian's testimony. That blood didn't just get there, and Brian had no cut on his hands."

"Ok, so what do we do now?" Vera asks, anxiously

"Let's investigate the second half of Brian's testimony...we will need to get the Keycard Records from the school."

-

Time: 7:00 AM

Place: Ranger City Hall

-

"Scarlet, what are you still doing here?" my Mom asks, surprised as we walk up to her desk.

"Someone sabotaged the boat by poking a big hole in it."

"Has someone reported it?"

"Yeah, Brian did, but apparently the police have more troubling issues. Right now we're investigating the crime."

"OK, so what can I do for you two gumshoes?"

"I think you might be able to help us. Can you look up the keycard log for the school last night?

"Ok..." Mom says as she types away at the keyboard. "It looks like someone entered the school at 11:00 last night"

"That can't be it...it's too early." Vera sighs

"Hold your horses...but the same person entered again at 12:22."

_"Why would they enter twice?" I wonder._

"Who is it?" I demand.

"I only have a Ranger ID Number: XXRI0502...that's close to your number, Scarlet... Do you want me to look it up for you?

"No...Thank you mom, you've been a great help...Let's go Vera."

_Let me explain... the Ranger ID Number is comprised of the first two letters, which is the area you are assigned to. Right now, I'm still a student, so it's XX. My dad's first two was MR, or Mobile Ranger, which means he goes where he is needed. The next two characters is the Ranger's birthplace, mine is **R**anger **I**sland, or RI. The last four digits is the number baby that you are. My number is XXRI0500, and Vera's is XXRI0501. XXRI0502... is Tyler Malia's ID Number._

Chapter 14: Fight or Flight

-

Time: 7:20

Place: Vera's House

POV: Vera Riofe

-

_"Scarlet looks like he's going to punch a wall"_I think as we sit on my bed, going through evidence._"Better defuse this time-bomb before he explodes."___

"Scarlet..." I start.

"What." He says angrily at first, but then he tones back his tone." What?"

"We don't have conclusive proof that ties Tyler to the Crime Scene. How about I look around school while you develop my photos.

"Ok..." he says, and he starts preparing the solutions to develop the film. I turn off the lights and start off.

-

Time: 7:25

Place: Ranger Island Academy, Room 231.

POV: Vera Riofe

-

I love the art room at school, probably even more today, when nobody is here. Prints of famous paintings are on the walls, and it smells like paint, oil pastels, and bleach.

I start searching the cabinets, looking for something that could help with the investigation. I look in the sink, where I see a hammer and chisel. They are both wet. As I flip it around, I see a partial bloody fingerprint on the handle near the head of the hammer. I snap a few more photos, and then I collect the blood sample, but then decide to spray some luminol to see if there was more blood.

The sink lit up like blue Christmas lights. The chisel and the hammer has traces of blood, the sink itself has traces of blood, the paper towel roll has traces of blood. There are even traces of little drops of blood on the ground. After I document all that blood, I see that the First Aid cabinet is open. Inside there is a ripped box of BandAids with one missing, there's also a drop of blood on the inside of the box itself.

I look around a little more, until I get a call from Scarlet on my VoiceNav.

-

Time: 7:27

Place: Ranger Island Harbor

POV: Scarlet

-

After I hung Vera's film to dry, it dawned on me that I haven't told anyone on Type Island what's up. Because of our VoiceNav's, there's really not a lot of phones on the island, so I quickly run to the harbor, where there's one of the only phones on the Island. I dial ...

"Hello?" I hear

"Eunice? It's Scarlet."

"Scarlet…Why aren't you here?" She says, exasperated.

"Umm...I've hit a bit of a snag.."

"What kind of snag?"

"Someone punched a hole in the ferry."

"Can you get across another way?"

"They're trying to fix it as I speak...but I have a back-up plan, but it's a bit risky. I'll call you when I have an update."

"Ok, Scarlet. See you later."

I hang up, and I go back to Vera's Room.

-

Time: 7:30

Place: Vera's House

-

I look at the developed photos, all of the Crime Scene. I try not to think of Tyler, but all signs are pointing to him...

I flip through the pictures, when something catches my eye. The picture where I sprayed luminol on the hole, it also lit up faintly...on the dock itself.

I feel like an idiot. If the perp was cut, he would bleed when he tried to flee, especially if he wasn't expecting on fleeing. I run back down to the harbor.

-

Time: 7:35

Place: Ranger Island Harbor

-

I start spraying luminol like crazy, and it lights up a faint trail going towards town. I VoiceNav Vera.

"Vera!" Spray the floor of the school with luminol! I have found something that definitively links the crime scene to the school!"

"Got it!"

-

Time: 7:50

Place: Ranger Island Academy, Grounds

-

"Traces of blood droplets from the main door to the Art room" Vera reports.

"Traces of blood from the crime scene to the main door," I report. "That's pretty conclusive".

"Let's develop this new evidence and corner Tyler...he has a lot of explaining to do." Vera says, sadly

-

Time: 9:00

Place: Tyler's Malia's Bedroom

**(Now might be the time for a bit of music, I would suggest looking at the video)******

-

"What are you doing here?!" Tyler yells at me when Vera and I walk into his room. He has a BandAid on his left hand.

"Do you mean," What are you doing in my room, or "What are you still doing here?" I reply.

"Both...I guess" he murmurs.

"My question for you is: What were you doing at the Harbor last night?"

"The Harbor...I wasn't near no harbor last night. I was here in my bed.

"Try again, Tyler. Your Keycard was registered at the school last night at 11:00. I show him a laminated copy of the log.

"Ok...you caught me. I was working on a project last night for Art. What's so important about a Harbor?" He passes the sheet back, and I hand it to Vera.

"Someone poked a hole in the ferry; coincidentally the night before my competition."

"You think that just because I was out last night, I'm automatically a vandal?"

I grin and state my case. "You cut yourself while chiseling a hole in the boat, and left blood at the scene of the crime. When you screamed, it alerted the captain, who started chasing after you. In your hurry to flee the crime, you left a trail of blood, leading up to the school's door, where you used your keycard to get in. You then ran to the Art Room, where you washed off the chisel, and patched yourself up with the school's BandAid. You then realized you had been dropping blood, so you cleaned up the halls, but in your haste, you forgot about the hammer, which still has your bloody fingerprint on it."

"You don't have any fingerprints of me; you're just bluffing."

Vera came forward. "You're right. We didn't have any fingerprints of yours to compare it to...but your own curiosity provided one for us.

She flashes the laminated Keycard sheet, with magnetic fingerprinting dust highlighting Tyler's fingerprints.

"Mind if I tell another version of last night's events?" Tyler asks.

"Sure..." I say.

"The vandal cut "himself" while chiseling a hole in the boat, and left blood at the scene of the crime. When "he" screamed, it alerted the captain, who started chasing after "him". In "his" hurry to flee the crime, "he" left a trail of blood, leading up to the school's door..."

"This sounds exactly like my version..." I start

"Let me finish!" Tyler says. "He tries to get in, but doesn't have a keycard. He then realizes he's been leaving a trail, so "he" wraps it with something to keep more blood from dripping. He hears someone coming, so he runs off, carrying the hammer and chisel. That someone is me. I couldn't go to sleep, so I decided to take a walk. I tripped and cut myself, and I start bleeding. I run to the school, where I use my keycard. I hear the angry captain, so I run in quickly, dropping blood inside the door. I did run to the Art Room, where I washed my hands in the sink, but realized that some of my blood had got on a hammer and chisel sitting in the sink. I washed off the chisel and the hammer, but not as good as I thought I had, leaving that print. I then patched myself up with the school's BandAid. I then realized that I had been dropping blood, so I cleaned up the halls...There ya go, another version of the events."

_Ugg...I can't prove his story is wrong...but...___

"That's a tight story, but the one thing that sheds some doubt is the Keycard log...this says you entered the school twice."

Tyler smirks," It's still not enough...maybe you could catch me if you had blood or DNA testing, or a security camera."

"So you admit to it..." Vera says, angrily.

"I admit to nothing...All I'm saying is that it's gonna be pretty hard for Scarlet to get to the championships with a leaky boat."

"Not on my watch!" I say angrily." And don't think this is over, Tyler. I may not be able to get you today, but I will make sure justice is served."

I storm out of there, with Vera close behind.

-

Time: 9:45

Place: Ranger Island Harbor

-

"I'm so sorry, Scarlet," Brian tells me,"But the hole is just too big. I can't get you to the island today in time."

"Thanks for trying." I respond.

"Did you catch the vandal?"

"We did..." Vera answers."... But we can't prove in a court that he did it."

"I got to get working on my boat...Sorry again, Scarlet."

He walks away, and I run back to the payphone and dial Eunice.

"Scarlet!" What's the deal?"

"I'm leaving right now. Stall the competition as long as you can; I might be cutting this close." I reply

" 'K, I'll try my best."

I hang up the phone.

"Vera, get my mom, dad, and Mrs. Ratone. Tell them I've found a way to get to the Championships."

I hand her the evidence bags. "Keep these safe"

"But I don't understand...How are you getting off the island?" Vera asks.

"Simple. Here's a question to answer yours: How did Cyke get off the island?"

"Uhh..."

"If this island lied about training, it wouldn't be a stretch to believe that they also lied about the Water Barrier being impenetrable. "

"So your dad helped Cyke swim or fly away?"

"Probably."

"But that doesn't mean the barrier doesn't do its job... You saw what happened to Cyke."

"I'm willing to take that chance." I say as I secretly let Staraptor out of his Pokéball.

"Be Careful!" Vera yells as I soar into the air. We break through the Water Barrier and hasten to Type Island.

-

Time: 9:58

Place: ComUnity Stadium, Neutral Faction, Type Island

-  
"Thank God you made it here on time!" Eunice says as we run through the maze of the stadium's back hallways"

We turn a corner and I see a door with "**Neutral Delegate**" inscribed in it, with a list of all the past delegates. My name is at the bottom.

"This leads to your lounge, where you can wait before each round starts. All the delegates' lounges are connected to a main room. Make sure you don't say anything you would regret later, because there's cameras and mics hidden everywhere."

"Thanks for believing in me, Eunice. I'll do my best."

"You are welcome! Now, go stand on the Pokeball platform in the middle of your room. I'll see you later." She walks away, so I open the door to my lounge.

On the walls is a painting of every known Pokémon. After the Unova Pokémon, there's hundreds of Pokémon that I've never seen before, but there's plenty of wall space for ten more regions-full of Pokémon. The rest of the room looks pretty normal, with a snack bar, books, a couch and chairs, and another door, which is locked. I remember what Eunice told me, and I step on a platform that looks like a Pokéball. The center lights up and the platform starts to rise. I see a whole above me opening, and I hear music start to play.

-

Time: 9:59

Place: Box Seat No. 1, ComUnity Stadium, Neutral Faction, Type Island

POV: Bill

-

"I quite hope that these trainers are as good as you said they are, I'm getting far too old to be flying to Sinnoh and...what is this region called again?"

"Regions...sir, similar to Kanto and Johto. They're togetha known as the Ivenovia Archipelago, but they're Iventa and Innovia." I say

"Whatever..I think I'm gonna retire soon, or at least not travel as much. So tell me...is this about all 3 of them or just one?

"Well...just the one, but the other two were a nice package deal." I laugh

"I don't do package deals.I don't even pick people one at a time without extreme scrutiny, you remember how hard it was for Gold to prove himself. Even though... I want to meet the other two, but tell me about_him._"

"He's a Ranger kid, only had been training for two weeks at the time of the attack, but his ability...well, you saw the survelliance video."

"I'll see how he's improved...oh! It's starting. Make sure to take notes."

"Yes, Professor Oak."

-

Time: 9:59

Place: Box Seat No. 2, ComUnity Stadium, Neutral Faction, Type Island

POV: ?

-

"Tapping the video coverage, boss."

"Thanks Carson...and Kit...do you have the package ready?" I ask.

"Yes...but...how do you even know he'll win, or will do whatever you need him for?"

"You don't need a PhD in Psychology to know that with the right pressure at the right points, any nut can crack."

"You still didn't answer my question...how can you be so sure a person with barely 3 months of training will win?"

"Intuition. He's a Regnar, and Regnars are perfectly suited for Training."

"What do you mean, boss?"

"Over time, things evolve, on a very small scale, to adapt to their environment. Have you ever seen a person's child being good at what their parents do?"

"Sure...but i don't see..."

"A trait passed down paternally by Regnars is that the child will have faster neurological functions, basically, they think faster than any other Trainer. They can strategize quicker, they are better on their feet, etc. As to how I know he will go through with it... he has few inhibitions related to breaking the rules in order to achieve the truth.

**Chapter 15: Reality is A-Maze-ing**

As I rise, I see the other contestants on similar platforms also rising. I wave at Aqua and Jade and they wave back.

"Welcome Everyone to the 2013 Type Island Championships! I'm Chuck Charles, host of the local radio station PKMN. 18 talented teens are fighting today for the Type Island Championship Trophy. Let's introduce them for the audience at home."

A large jumbotron lights up and shows a zoomed in shot of each trainer and loads their information onto a profile.

" Ashton from the Fire Faction  
Aqua from the Water Faction  
Jade from the Grass Faction  
Jenner from the Electric Faction  
Maggie from the Bug Faction  
Boyde from the Flying Faction  
Kevin from the Ice Faction  
Jude from the Fighting Faction  
Harold from the Psychic Faction  
Phoebe from the Ghost Faction  
Damien from the Dark Faction  
Yew from the Poison Faction  
Arthur from the Dragon Faction  
Tim from the Steel Faction  
Silton from the Ground Faction  
Sidion from the Rock Faction  
Reggie from the Normal Faction

And representing the Neutral Faction all the way from Ranger Island, Scarlet!"

The crowd cheers for their representative, and I see a bunch of the people from the Neutral Faction cheering me on.

"Ok! Let's get started! Since this year's theme is Cleverness, our first challenge is a very unorthodox test for each of the contestants. It is 100 questions, and we're judging on accuracy. We'll use how fast your overall test is if we need a tie-breaker. Remember, cheating means disqualification from the Championships."

The platforms sink into the ground and I am lowered back down to my lounge. When I have my feet back on terra firma, I sit down at a desk the workers set up and open the laptop and put on the headphones next to play. A prerecorded message begins to play.

" Part One: Match the Tower to the Region."

I instantly see images of different towers, and I start to drag and drop the regions' names next to each picture. One of the last ones I recognize as the Oblivia Radio Tower, which I think the others might have trouble on.

The rest of the test consisted on type logic, recognition of cries, and some geography. All in all, I though is was pretty easy, as I only took 5 minutes.

After a while, the scores are posted on our laptops

**1. Scarlet / NEU / 100**

**2 Reggie / NOR / 95**

**3 Boyde / FLY/ 92**

**4 Aqua / WAT / 88**

**5 Jade / GRS / 85**

**6 Jenner / ELEC / 84 / 6:30**

**7 Ashton / FIRE / 84 / 7:00**

**8 Damien / DARK /83**

**9 Jude / FIGT/ 82**

**10 Arthur / DRGN / 81**

**11 Tim / STL / 80**

**12 Harold / PSY / 79**

**13 Phoebe /GHO/ 78**

**14 Yew /PSN / 77**

**15 Silton / GND/ 76**

**16 Sidion /RCK/ 75**

**17 Kevin / ICE/ 74**

**18 Maggie /BUG/ 73**

Chuck Charles begins to speak over the loud speaker, " So before we break for lunch, we are going to explain the Cleverness Virtue Challenge."

I see a picture of a circular area with iron bars guarding 18 cells.

" Every 5 minutes, one of you will be released into a labyrinth. On the other side are several Pokeballs on pillars that identify their species of Pokemon. Choose wisely,it might alter the course of this entire Championship. When you are done, return to your cell and push the red Pokeball button to close the gate. Only special rule is no sending out Pokemon or you forfeit the Championships.

Now a brief word from our Sponsors..."

The doors to the shared lobby unlock and I go into a very comfortable yet high tech lounge. All the rest of the delegates are seated on couches, futons, and papazons.

"Congratulations Scarlet." I hear, and I turn to see Aqua and Jade sitting behind me on the couch. I sit down next to him.

"Thanks guys! You did well too. How'd you do on the..."

"So Aqua...I didn't know you were friends with... Rangers." I hear. We face Jenner walking towards us, closely followed by Ashton.

"What's wrong with being a Ranger? I was able to answer 100% of the questions correctly because I am a Ranger." I respond.

"That doesn't matter. You may be able to answer some trivia but that's only 1/3 of the battle. You may have been able to beat those undecided marshmallows you call Neutral Trainers, but the rest of us have been groomed for this competition since we were born. You simply do not have the skills nor the experience to win, much less beat one of us" Ashton sneers.

Our tété â tété is interrupted by the workers carrying in boxes of pizza. Like Mothrims to Lanturns, we all race over and start to grab the plates of pizza as soon as the frantic workers can dole it out

As I bite into the layers of roasted tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and spicy basil,I think about what Ashton said. He is right about one point, that I don't have as much experience as some of them, but what if I could turn the game in my favor ?...

"Follow me" I whisper.

Aqua and Jade give me weird looks but follow me to where Reggie and Boyde are eating.

"Can we talk?" I ask quietly.

They look at me, then Aqua and Jade.

"Sure..." Reggie says.

They all follow me to my lounge, and I shut the door.

"What's this about?" Boyde asks,

" I have an plan going into the next challenge that will totally screw over the more powerful delegates."

Reggie leans back,"We're listening..."

"If this works, then you're a genius" Jade whispers.

"If everything goes according to plan, then this should work..." I respond.

After I briefed the group, we had to go back to our individual lounges. They apparently had built the challenge to be portable, because when we rose up on our platforms again, we were all in the circular dungeon-like area. The floor is brick-like, and timers hang over our doors, displaying how much time is left before that person is released. In the center lies a ladder, apparently leading to the maze.

"_The Challenge will begin in 5…4…3…2…1…Start._

Immediately the gate comes up and the countdown starts on Reggie's timer. I climb up the ladder and start running through the maze. Eventually I get to the end and I see the Pokeballs sitting on pillars that have pictures of different Pokemon. I grab Gyrados and soon after I hear Reggie coming up the ladder. I guide him to the end, and after he grabs a Pokeball, he runs back into the maze so that he is about 1/3 of the way through. We repeat for Boyde and Aqua, stationing them at the center and at the entrance.

"Jade wants some electric Pokemon!" I hear Aqua shout, so I grab a Pokeball from the pilar with a picture of Pikachu and run it down to Reggie, who relays it to Boyde, and then to Aqua.

I hear Jade's door open, and this is when Phase 2 of my plan kicks in.

"Jade says that for the rest, they just want something good. Leave the crappy Pokemon for the "Elite,"Aqua shouts.

I grab 4 "good" Pokemon, and we send them one by one through the maze. Once through, Jade descends the ladder and she gives them through the bars to 4 trainers that we felt deserve a little "head start".

"Scarlet! Jenner's getting out in 1 minute! "

I quickly start Phase 3 by taking all the remaining Pokeballs and scattering them on the far end of the pillar room so that the rest of the people won't know what Pokemon they get.

I then run through the maze, followed by Reggie and Boyde. We hurriedly scurry down the ladder and run into our cells. Jenner's bars come up, and he climbs the ladder. A few minutes later, I hear him rage, " SCARLET!"

**Chapter 16: Topple Their Regime**

I want to keep this PG, so let's just say 9 delegates weren't very happy with me. Luckily, we are isolated so to keep the matches fair and even.

I lay down on the red shag carpet while Chuck Charles banters.

"So now we have our Single Pokemon Matches, using the Pokemon you received in the Maze .Relax while you wait;It shouldn't take too long.

I play around on the laptop, this being the first time I've been on an unrestricted computer. I watch some YouTube, and read some books on Poképad, a writing site until the pitting appears on the computer:

**Round 1: 1 Pokemon Each**

**Jenner vs. Phoebe**

**Boyde vs. Damien**

**Scarlet vs Jude**

**Reggie vs. Tim**

**Aqua vs. Arthur**

**Yew vs. Harold**

**Jade vs. Sidion**

**Maggie vs. Silton**

**Ashton vs. Kevin**

My first match starts at 11:30. They must have used the time after the maze to move the Challenge Room, because the battling field is back like it was at the beginning of the event.

Jude looks determined as the ref steps out onto the field. We shake hands, and then we step to opposite ends of the Pokeball emblem.

"Go Gyrados!" I shout enthusiastically.

"Go…whatever you are!" Jude responds.

Out of Jude's Pokeball comes Magikarp.I quickly move my hand to my mouth in order to keep myself from laughing.

"I QUIT!" Jude yells as he glares at me. He throws down the Pokeball and walks off the field.

"Karp?" Magikarp says while he flounders up and down.

**Round 2: 2 Pokemon Each**

**Jenner vs. Boyde  
**

**Scarlet vs Reggie  
**

**Aqua vs. Yew  
**

**Jade vs. Maggie  
**

**Ashton **(Bye)

I kinda feel sorry for Jude, but his walking off of the field meant I had to wait in my lounge while the rest of the match-ups battled one by one. I also am a little mad because Ashton got the bye for the next round. That means that both Jade and I have to battle against people we allied with in the maze.

"I hope we can walk away from this battle without any hard feelings." Reggie said as we shook hands.

"Hey, If I had to lose today, which I don't plan on , but I'd rather lose to you than Jenner or Ashton."

"Go Gyrados"

"Go Spiritomb"

"Spiritomb, use Curse!"

" Finish it with Surf, Gyrados!"

Gyrados sends a typhoon of water at Spititomb, making it faint, but is still affected by Curse.

Reggie sighs,"I guess I'm down to my final Pokemon...Go Milktank!"

I only have two more turns before Gyrados faints, so I know I have to make this count.

"Use Leer!"

"Milktank, use Roll-Out!"

Milktank rolls up and starts rolling towards Gyrados. I know that any hit would probably faint Gyrados , so I try something I haven't seen done before.

"Use Aqua Tail really hard!"

Gyrados' tail collides with the rolling cow, and like a batter hitting a home run, the Milktank gets shot back across the field and into the concrete wall.

"Milktank is unable to battle. Scarlet wins."

**Round 3: 3 Pokemon Each**

**Jenner vs. ****Jade**  


**Scarlet vs. ****Ashton**  


**Aqua **(Bye)

I face off against Ashton, who looks determined.

"I'll say this about you, you know how to turn the odds in your favor,"Ashton smirks.

"As you said, I wasn't raised to battle, I was raised to solve problems and make the most of a situation."

"Well, lets get this over with...Go Heatmor!"

"Go Gyrados!"

_If only he knew I had a Heatmor also..._

"Gyrados, use Surf."

A massive typhoon slams into Heatmor, knocking it off its feet.

A ref scans Heatmor with a ray that helps determine the Hit Points of Pokemon.

"Heatmor is unable to battle."

"I guess I'm walking into a slaughter...I take back what I said, being Neutral has its perks...Why don't we just say you would faint Torkoal, because you probably would.

"You sure? Because this is important."

"I'm sure...but let's try my grab bag pick...Go Sirskit!"

_Great...a Bug/Water Type...Time to change up my strategy...or should I?_

"Gyrados, use Surf again!"

True to its name, Sirskit is able to rise to the surface after being hit with the wave. That's ok though...cause I have a plan...

"Now use Thunderbolt!"

The lightning hits the wet ground, shocking the poor Sirskit.

"Sirskit is still able to battle..." The ref pronounces.

"No its not..." Ashton says, retrieving the tired Pokemon. "He's brought me this far, and I'm proud of him."

He starts to walk away, but turns back.

"Scarlet, you are welcome anytime in the Fire Faction..."

"Thanks, Ashton..."

"If Jenner gets past Jade, take him down. That's an order!"

"I will, don't you worry"

I read some of the books on the bookshelf when the pitting is posted on the screen. I am imressed that Jade was able to beat Jenner, but I am glad to get the bye, which guarantees my spot in the finals.

**Semi-Finals: 4 Pokemon Each**

**Aqua vs. ****Jade**  


**Scarlet **(Bye)

****The battle between Aqua and Jade was evidently shorter than expected, because the final pitting shows up on the screen:

**Finals: ? Pokemon Each**

**Scarlet **vs. **Jade**  


Truthfully, I am surprised that Jade won. I knew for a fact that she had less experience than Aqua. I would like to see their battle, but the earliest I could do so would be tomorrow.

"Aaaaaaaand Now...The moment you all have been waiting for: The Final Round of the 2011 Type Island Championships."

I rise on the pillar for the last time , and as I do I hear Chuck Charles giving us a long intro:

"We have Neutral Trainger Scarlet Regnar against Jade Stone. Now this is going to be interesting, because Jade only has 3 Pokemon entered in the competition but has held her ground and got in the finals. Scarlet, the referees will allow you to mix up your party as compensation."

"Good luck, Scarlet."

"Thanks Jade."

I go up to shake her hand, but I whisper, "What happened with Aqua?"

"I don't know...he kept on trying to make extremely hard attacks, but he kept failing..."

"Are you two ready?" the referee asks.

"Ready!" We both say.

"Go Sawsbuck!"

"Go Heatmor!"

"Heatmor, use Inferno"

A wave of fire rains down upon Sawsbuck, but it surprisingly stays standing. She must have worked on training for Defense...

"Sawsbuck, use Take Down!"

_I'm not going to risk Inferno again...I have to be on my toes..._

I wait until Sawsbuck gets near before I shout "Use Fire Spin!"

A ring of fire moves around Sawsbuck, which because of inertia runs straight into the flames, making it faint.

"Let's bring him down! Go Abomasnow!"

Heatmor, use Flamethrower!

It didn't help that Abomasnow is 4x weak to Fire, because it looked like a forest fire afterward.

"Wow...you got way better than the last time I saw you battle! I guess I have to bring out my power house

"Go Tropius!"

"Heatmor, Inferno!"

Tropius flies upwards, but still gets singed.

"Tropius, use Solarbeam!"

Tropius spreads its wings and starts soaking up the sun. I can't risk that attack hitting.

"Use Inferno again!"

I guess Heatmor is just insanely accurate, because it works, fainting Tropius.

"And Scarlet Regnar is the winner of the 2011 Type Island Championships. Along with Aqua and Jade, he will receive an interview with PKMN TV and a Pokepad 5S complements of the Pokepad Company, who's new marketing headquarters has just opened in Volta City,Iventa."

"We are the Champions" starts playing, confetti starts dropping, and I get a giant plaque with my team picture. I step onto the pillar and go back to my lounge one last time. It still hasn't sank in: I am one of the best youth Trainers out there!

-

Time: 4:00

Place: Box Seat No. 1, ComUnity Stadium, Neutral Faction, Type Island

POV: Bill

-

I am so glued to the confetti that I almost don't hear Professor Oak.

"Bill, we should head out. We need to miss the crowds."

"Yes, Professor."

I open the door, and we walk down the hallway towards the stairs.

"So Professor, what do ya' think about him now?"

"I think you need to get to that radio the kids to Vanilli's when they get done with their interview."

"So ya like the package deal afta all?"

"You have a good eye, Bill. And yes, all three will be perfect, but especially Scarlet."

-

Time: 4:00

Place: Box Seat No. 2, ComUnity Stadium, Neutral Faction, Type Island

POV: ?

-  
Kit runs back inside the door to the box seat.

"Kit, did you transfer the code?"

"Yeah, they had little security, and the locks were a piece of cake to pick."

"Good...We should probably leave when there is no crowd."

We hurriedly walk down the hallway.

"Boss," Carson asks, "If you don't mind me asking, why do we need to watch Scarlet?"

"Elementary. We need to track him to make sure he doesn't get into trouble. There's a lot of it coming right towards him, and I plan to help him sidestep it."

"Cyke, we're still taking the pic, right?"

"Correct, Kit" I answer. I hand her my Pokepad. "Make sure it leaves room for doubt."

"Sure thing, Cyke."

**Chapter 17: Paparazzi**

When I got back to the lounge,I see a box next to my bookbag. After I place my trophy into my bookbag and swing the it onto my shoulders, I notice that the box had been opened.I carefully open the box,and I see that the packaging had been tampered with. I grab the scarlet Pokepad inside, and click it on, displaying a picture of my team photo.

_I guess they had to put my photo into my new phone...but why make it look like no one was here..._

"Scarlet, are you still in there?" a voice interrupts my train of thought.

I open the the door to find Eunice outside with Jade and Aqua, who strangely looks impatient.I step out into the hall.

OK, you all rocked it out there today, but something harder comes next: Braving the Paparazzi. We are going to the PKMN TV station located across the street. Scarlet, lead us there. Aqua, follow him, and I'll bring up the rear behind Jade. Understand?

"Mrs. Eunice, how long is the interview?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I...just…wanted to get home early," Aqua responds.

"Why it's not even 5:00 yet. I don't think you need to worry.

_What in the world is wrong with Aqua? It looks like he's trying to leave before someone finds him…_

We walk down the hallway, up the stairs, and into the main lobby. It had been purged of the crowd but they were leaning against the glass windows like a Rapidash against the starting gates at the races. Before we step out into the swarming crowd, Eunice shouts above the crowd's buzzing.

"Remember, don't say anything, keep moving, and catch anything thrown at you!"

The doors open, and we hurriedly walk through the roped off area, barraged by reporters, journalists, and fans with flashing lights and screaming questions.

Someone throws a red cap at me, and I catch it. As I blaze through the crowd, I examine it. It's a scarlet red baseball cap, surprisingly well made. I put it on my head, which apparently triggers more pictures.

I feel like an Israelite crossing the Red Sea, with towers of water on either side. I know I'm safe, but I know any minute the waters will collapse right after we pass.

Finally we get to the TV Station. We are shown to a lounge where they tell us that the broadcast will start at 5:00.

"Hey Scarlet, can we swap numbers?" Jade shows me her shiny green Pokepad.

"Sure." I get out my red Pokepad and flick it on, showing the picture of me and my team.

"Oh cool, they put your team photo on your phone! I should do that, the only thing they put on my phone is my name..."

_Uh oh..._

"You mean they didn't do that for you?"

"No..."

"What about you, Aqua?"

Aqua snaps out his shiny blue Pokepad and flicks it on. Nothing but the default lock screen.

"Maybe they did it because you were the winner?" Aqua responds.

"Let me ask you something else...was your Pokepad's box opened?"

"No...why?"

"No reason..."

_If they didn't need to open the box to put my name on it, and the color is clearly marked on the box, then someone somehow got into my room and put the photo on my phone..."_

I do a little digging while I wait. I look at my photo album, and sure enough, the photo is there, added at 3:55 pm.

"Hey Eunice, can you text pictures?"

"Yeah...go to messages, and when you create a new message,click the little camera button.

I go to messages, with Jade and Aqua looking over my shoulders, and sure enough, the picture was texted at 3:55 pm, the same time it was added to my photo album.

"Look, there's the number it was texted from." Jade points out.

I touch the number, and it starts dialing. I hear someone pick up.

"Hello?" A feminine voice says.

"Hi, I'm Scarlet Regnar, and I was wondering why you broke into my lounge and put a picture onto my phone."

The person hangs up.

"Scarlet! Did they say anything?" Jade asks.

"No, just hello..."

"What about afterwards?"

"No, they just...hung...up..."

_If that person opened my cell phone, they probably got my number...I would expect a person not expecting that call to react to the surprise, but it's like they expected it._

A stage manager enters the room, and we follow them to the edge of the stage.

We see a lady with blond hair talk to the camera

"Hello everybody! This is "In Medina Res" and I'm Medina Vocito, bringing all you trainers news to use. Tonight is a local special because literally 5 minutes ago, the 2011 Type Island Championships, here on Type Island in the Ivenovia Archipelago, have concluded with an unexpected Champion. Everyone give a PKMN welcome to our guests, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place: Scarlet Regnar, from Ranger Island, representing the Neutral Zone, Jade Stone, from the Grass Faction, and Aqua Agetuo from the Water Faction!

We walk onto the stage, which sits in front of hundreds of audience members. We sit down on a sofa catty-corner Medina's, with Aqua being the closest, Jade in between, and me on the other side.

She starts her interview with Aqua, and then moves onto Jade. I try to nod when my name is mentioned, but my mind is a mile away.

_Don't you think I'll stop looking for answers, Miss X. I'll find a way to figure out who did something to my cell phone..._

"Scarlet...am I boring you too much?"

I realize I had zoned out on live TV...

"Sorry Medina...it's been a long day, and I have a lot to think about..."

"That's okay, Scarlet. I get tired from just producing an hour of television!"

Cue annoying studio laughter...

"So I'll keep the questions to a minimum... Can you tell us in a nutshell what the main differences are between a Ranger and a Trainer?"

"Well...it's kinda like the difference between Methodists and Baptists, its how much you get wet."

Cue annoying studio laughter...

"But anyway, Rangers basically believe that we should only use Pokemon to help make the world a better place, and once they have served their purpose, then we should release them.

"Do you believe that?"

"Somewhat...I believe that catching Pokemon and training them helps the relationship grow better than a slider. But I do believe that Pokemon should only be used for good.

"So tell us what your island is like and do you think your winning the Championship will change any opinions about training?"

"My island is secluded...but that's a good thing. I do think that catching Pokemon shouldn't be allowed in some areas. But they also control what we can experience from the outside world. As for the second question...no, I don't believe many things will have changed. Those who believe in me will have their belief strengthened and those who don't will trust me less."

"Wow...Okay, one last question...What are you going to do now that you've won?"

"First things first, I'm going to finish school. After that...I don't know..."

"Will you become a Ranger?"

"Maybe...but I will not give up my gift in order to do so. I believe that if they want me that much, then they will have to let me blaze my own trail in using trained Pokemon for Ranger Missions."

"Well thank you all for coming on my show...The Fantastic Three, everyone!"

When we get off the stage, there is someone else in our dressing room...

"Bill, what are you doing here?"

"Pro'fessa Oak wants to see y'all now.

**Chapter 18: Quercus Moriens**

We follow Bill out the back door of the station and walk into the nicer section of the Neutral Zone. Eunice said her goodbyes as she had to get back to the Neutral Club.

"Look at this house!" I gasp as we walk by.

It has a giant greenhouse off the back with a in-ground pool. I look at the price tag on the For Sale sign.

"I could never afford that." I sigh.

"Let's keep movin' y'all." Bill says

We eventually get to our designation, a fancy Italian restaurant called Vanilli's. We are hit with the smells of pizza, pasta, and poshness.

The maître d' looks at us.

"Do you have a reservation?" he asks in an Italian accent.

Bill shows his Trainer Card. "We have a room reserved with Pro'fessa Oak."

A waiter walks up.

"Take Mr. Bill and the bambinos to the Casa de Margarita."

We follow the waitress to a private banquet hall. We sit down at a table set for five.

"See what y'all want for supper. The Pro'fessa will be here in a minute."

"Um.. I'll have the Chicken Sausage Pomodoro Rigatoni" I answer.

"Pesto Cavatappi." Aqua says quickly.

"Eggplant Parmasagna, please," says Jade."

"I'll have the Five Cheese Pesto Ravioli... and the pro'fessa will prob'ably want the..."

"I would like the Fettuccine Alfredo."

We turn around to see Professor Oak walk slowly through the waiter leaves with our orders. Bill helps Professor Oak very slowly sit down.

"Now let's not waste time... i don't have that much of it. The only reason I'm here is that Bill wouldn't leave me alone about a bunch of kids saving him from being mugged. I watched the security tapes and decided to go out on a limb and trust Bill's judgement."

Bill re-positions himself, clearly stung by the Professor's comment.

The waiter comes back with huge bowls full of our order. We all stare at the large bowls and start to dig in.

"Well it turns out that he had hit the seeing you in action, I knew that you three would be perfect."

"If you don't mind me asking, perfect for what?" Aqua says, checking the time on his phone.

"Didn't I say already?...Oh, well, I want you to become Pokedex Holders."

I drop my fork in shock, causing a clatter that turns the heads in the room.

"Us...Pokedex Holders...like Red!? But no offence, but we aren't insanely talented like they are." I stammer.

"Scarlet...don't be so modest. You process things very quickly, leading to quicker strategy development. Aqua, you always try for the impossible, even if it might not work, and Jade... let me be honest. Grass is known to be a weaker type, but your defense training is something like I haven't seen. Besides, all three of you are itching to explore."

"Ok, so why this special meeting then?" Aqua asks, almost like he's trying to hurry up the process.

" First, we have seen new Pokemon in Iventa and Inovia that we need to collect data on. Bill?"

Bill brings out a laptop.

"Now with this new-fangled technology, my last Hail Mary to save the Pokedex program is to make it an application on a Pokepad."

We hand Bill out phones, and he downloads the app to out Pokepads.

"Its done, Professor."

He hands them back to us.

"Professor...If I may ask, what did you mean by "last Hail Mary" and "Saving the Pokedex"

The Professor looks down and grimaces.

"It may not look like it, but I am slowly dying. Fourteen years ago I was diagnosed with impediment, but now it is full blown Alzheimer. I soon may start to forget who I am or who people I know and love are. I am the person in charge of making sure I limit the number of Pokedex holders to the select few trainers who I feel qualify. When I am unable to function as the head of Pokedex regulation, the job will be passed on to Bill, but the rest of the professors will have to agree to the nominations. I fear that few Pokedex holders will be chosen after I resign, so I wanted to have one last set of hand-picked Pokedex holders that show great poten..."

Suddenly a lot of men in black suits burst into the banquet room and surround the table. One seizes Jade and starts to drag her out.

"No! Let me go you obsequious icebergs!"

We try to stop them, but the men in black block our paths, and one even tries to grab Aqua.

"Jade!"

The two that hold Jade run out first, followed by the rest. We run to the entrance to see a black limo skidding away. Aqua chases after it and I start to follow, but Bill stops me.

"Scarlet, its no use. Even if ya caught up to them, ya wouldn't be able to stop are the personal Secret Service of the Stone Family."

I sit down on the floor in the middle of the restaurant in desperation.

"Look, here's my number. Text me when you three can contact each other again and I'll give y'all the details on how to get to Iventa. I have to go... we have a long flight tonight."

"Goodbye Scarlet." Professor Oak says, having finally gotten to the main entrance of the restaurant. He pays the bill, then the two walk out.

I walk out also, my mind swimming with anger, questions, and confusion. I end up wandering back to the harbor, so I send out Staraptor and start the long journey back home.

Time: 4:55

Place: ?

POV: Cyke Olagy

-

"Cyke, Scarlet called my phone!" Kit exclaims after running in the door of the motel room.

"Good. He passes my first test." I answer.

"Boss, how is that good? Now he can figure out info about us!" Carson asks. I was Skyping him via my laptop.

"Let him... he will just end up proving himself more in the process. Carson...how is our new base?"

"I just arrived sir, and she's ready."

"Good...now, you know we will be having a fourth person joining us very soon. But I trust him very much, and you should too. He is the key in all this."

"How do you know him?" Kit asks.

"He is a friend of mine."

"Who is he and how is he fitting into the plan, Boss?"

"Let's just say his identity will be especially ironic considering today's events."

"The Tournament...Wait...Scarlet's gonna be our fourth?" Kit asks.

I chuckle. "Close Kit, very close, but no cigar."

**********Chapter 19: Trials and Tree-bulations  
**

Even though its only 7:00, the sky is already night. Staraptor lands unsteadily, which causes me to make a mental note to fly in the dark as least as possible. My house is already dark, which is weird because my parents had talked about inviting Vera, Tyler, and their parents to watch the Championships and inevitably they would be up till 11:00 at night chatting away. I'm not exactly sure how my Dad would be able to greenlight the channel, because my Dad's job is making sure his subordinates censor these channels.

I open the front door to find a totally dark house, with no sign of any party. I begin to start searching the house when I hear a noise from the family room. I walk down the hall and open the door to a dark family room, with the only light coming from the TV, playing the sound of static. I look on the screen and immediately start to panic.

**This program that you have been watching is unauthorized by the Ranger Island Council**

I flick on the lights and see the remnants of a party, with wings, macaroni and cheese, chips & dip, etc. I know my mom, and she wouldn't leave food out like this... unless...

I run to my room and kneel down underneath my bed. I move some books and wiggle loose two floorboards. I discovered this hole one day when I was re-positioning some of the furniture in my room. I place my hat, bookbag, and Pokeballs into the compartment, quickly cover it back, and run downstairs and out the door.

The Ranger Council Center also serves as the "Supreme Court" of the island. My suspicions are confirmed when the usually abandoned building has all of its lights on. I run into the lobby and down the hall to the council room. A guard waits outside.

"Who's in there right now?" I ask breathlessly.

"An Unauthorized Transmission Charge...But this is a closed trial...No access to civilians."

"But I have to do with the case... I'm Scarlet Regnar."

"In that case, you have been subpoenaed as a witness. Follow me."

He opens giant doors to the courtroom, and I walk in.

The Councilroom/Courtroom has an extra large judge's bench, where the seven main councilmen sit. As I walk into the room, I see that the aisle directly faces Facere Malus, the Head of Council. He smiles as I walk down the aisle accompanied by the guard.

"Ah...Scarlet...you are like the missing puzzle piece that was lost but now is found, completing the puzzle and showing what the puzzle really is."

I see a lot of people here, and all of them have me or my family as the common denominator. My parents, Vera, Tyler and their parents, a few people from dad's job, Brian Deepsy, and Jean Ratone.

"Scarlet, I'll fill you in. An anonymous tip was sent in that someone was using an unauthorized channel at the Technology Headquarters. We checked, and two people testified that your father told everyone to keep that channel open from 9:55 to 5:30."

I glance at my dad, but he averts his gaze.

"Now, I'll give him credit. Normally we tape all of the shows for the records, but your dad was able to get them not to tape it. But a TV Guide shows that playing at that time was the Type Island Championships, and when we arrested your father, the TV was still on that channel...so we have the means and the opportunity..."

He motions to the stenographer, who begins to type.

"But we still have the question of motive. Why would the loyal Benjamin Rengar risk his job, his friends' jobs, his reputation, all for a TV broadcast?"

He stares at me for a minute, letting the question sink in.

"Scarlet Allen Regnar...You will show the court the motive."

I sit down next to Brian.

"My first witness is Brian Deepsy."

He walks up slowly to the stand.

"Name and occupation, for the record."

"Brian Deepsy, captain of the S.S Reva."

"Captain, please tell us about Scarlet's movements today."

"Um, he came to the boat about 7-ish but he left..."

"Why was he there so early, and how would a Student be able to get on the boat?"

"Well...he said 'e had something important on Type Island to go to at 10. As for the 2nd question, 'e has a Ferry Pass because he's Jean's intern."

"Interesting...now what did he do after?"

"Well at about 9:45 ish he came back, but since some bloke punched a hole in my boat, he used a Staraptor and... he...flew past the barrier."

"Thank you, Brian. You may sit down."

Brian sits down

"I'm sorry, mate." He whispers to me.

"It's not your fault; you had to tell the truth." I whisper back.

"Your dad told me to give you this."

I take a piece of paper. After I unfold it, I see my dad's handwriting, very quick and frantic:

**Scarlet, I'm already trapped. Do whatever you have to do to get yourself out.**

I look at my dad, who stares me in the face with a look of concern.

"Scarlet Regnar, to the stand."

I walk up to the stand slowly.

"Name and occupation, for the record."

"Scarlet Regnar, Student Ranger."

I sit down in the witness' seat.

"Now Scarlet, how did you come by this Ferry Pass?"

_At least I can make this part as much like the truth as possible..._

"Mrs. Ratone wanted to re-open the Ranger Island Public Library, so she gave it to me in order to figure out what a modern library looked like and contained."

"How often have you been "researching for Mrs. Ratone."

"About three months now, every Saturday."

"Why for three months? Surely it would only take a week or two?"

_Let's see if this works..._

"Yes... but I got caught up in something which required my time further."

"Elaborate, please. We all are wondering what this requirement is."

"While at the library one day, someone told me about a knowledge bowl where the winner would receive a grant to aid the library of their choice."

"So you decided to try and win the grant, i presume?"

"Yes, I most certainly did."

"So you admit to using the ferry with an outdated pass?"

"Who says the pass is outdated? There's no expiration date."

"This pass slipped through the cracks when the new person regulating the infrastructure was elected. But it is still outdated."

"But that isn't my fault, it's up to the person who regulates and inspec..."

"So you blame Brian for not checking the validity of the pass?" Malus says with a smile.

_Crap! I shouldn't have let that slip...but now I have a counter-argument_

"Let me ask you a question... how many Ferry Passes are circulating right now?"

He winces

"Only yours right now...but"

"Because of the scarcity of the passes, almost no one knows anything about them. Besides...even if it is an invalid pass, the blame is shared among many people for not regulating it."

He moves on, obviously angered that I talked my way out of Charge #1.

"So you claim to have gone to the Island today to compete in this "knowledge bowl"? Then explain what your family and friends were doing watching a restricted channel and what you were doing outside the ComUnity Stadium?"

He practically throws a photo at me of me walking through the paparazzi after I won.

_Wait...! This was taken with a camera phone...no...it can't be the same person who broke into my lobby... or could it be?"_

__"Scarlet...do you have an answer?"

"Yeah...My parents eventually found out about the Bowl, so I told them that the Bowl was taking place during a break between the Championship's matches. I didn't know they would try to see me compete on TV...but after I competed, the contestants watched the matches a bit before leaving to eat dinner."

He flinches, mad that my theory holds water. I decide to dig until i hit a nerve.

"So how did you get this photo? As you can see in this photo, I'm not wearing my Ranger uniform or my Styler. In fact, I blend pretty easily. Seems kinda suspicious that you won't say anything about who took the photo..."

"Enough!"

He goes and talks with the other Councilmen. He's passionate about something, but the passion leaves his face every time another councilman murmurs to him. He clears his face and looks at the people in the gallery.

"It seems that many are at fault in this case, but to show the mercy of the court, only the charge with clear-cut evidence will stand." He looks at Brian, the partygoers, my mom, Jean, and especially me.

"But any further leaving of the island will result in consequences..."

Now he faces my dad.

"But Benjamin Kellyn Lunnick Rengar, you have temped many people with the power you hold. I no longer trust you with that power. The council therefore has motioned to relieve you of your job as Head of Communications Technology. Court is adjourned."

Everyone slowly walks out of the Courtroom, trying to believe this was all a bad dream. But this is anything but...

I run back towards home, when I hear the sound of a chainsaw cutting through wood. Usually we just let trees fall unless they would cause damage.

I suddenly realize where the sound is coming from. I run faster, and I am met with what I had feared: someone is trying to cut down my treehouse.

"Hey! Stop! Don't cut dow..."

The person makes the final cut, and my treehouse starts to tip, until "BANG!" It falls over.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!"

The guy finally notices me, and starts to run away. I pursue him, and I notice that his uniform has a giant T and an N, mushed together like "TN" with the first vertical line of the N shared with the T. I chase him to the beach where we rescued Cyke. He drops the chainsaw and hops on a JetSki. I snatch out my Pokepad and snap a photo of him when he looks back one final time before speeding off. He is able to make it through the "Water Barrier" pretty easily.

I get my VoiceNav and call Vera

"Vera, get my forensic kit and bring it to Cyke Beach."

"Why?"

"Because we have a new crime to investigate tomorrow morning."

**********************Chapter 19: Habeas Corpus  
**

Vera and I bagged and tagged the chainsaw and plastered one of the guy's prints, but there wasn't much else to the scene. I would somehow have to sneak out under the radar to Type Island and somehow find someone who would do pro bono lab testing, which isn't likely.

I went up to my room back at home, but I couldn't sleep because my parents were arguing. I only heard bits and pieces: "treehouse", "Scarlet" "isn't good for him", "Are you taking sides with him?", "job", "money". I realize how much trouble I had caused by taking my journey, but yet, as bad as it sounds, it was worth it.

I wake up and look at my Pokepad.

_Crap. It's already 9:30. I'm late for church...no...Mom and Dad would have waken me..._

I realize that I still have my clothes from yesterday on.

_Oh well, I'll just change after breakfast._

I head downstairs, and see my mom in the kitchen. I dig in to my breakfast sandwich.

"Good morning, did you sleep well?"

"Yeah...didn't you"

"No... your father left at 5;30 and there was a tremor at 7:30, I'm surprised even you slept through it."

"Wait.. where was dad going?"

"He had a meeting for his new job"

"Where!"

"Um...near the gate to the Crystal Cliffs"

_No!_

I run upstairs and grab my backpack, which has my forensic kit in it from the night before. I grab my Pokeballs and run downstairs.

_Dad having a four hour meeting? No chance! I need to find the meeting place!_

"Scarlet, what are you doing?"

"I think Dad's meeting went on 2 hours too long"

I reach the chain link fence that blocks off the cliffs, and I see a tiny piece of scrap of clothing caught on a loose wire. It's bright scarlet, also known as Ranger Red because of its frequent connections to the Pokemon Rangers. I bag and tag it, then carefully climb over the fence.

I walk down a narrow dirt path, which leads to a rocky cliff outcropping with a pile of stones. I begin to walk towards the outcropping, when I notice something move: a camera.I duck behind a tree.

_What in the world is a camera doing here?_

I decide to use Staraptor to get around the camera. I don't need to be called into court again.

We fly over the camera and I notice a small beach. But then I notice something that almost makes me fall off Staraptor...on a rock...I...see...I see a giant puddle of...of blood.

I swoop down, trying to get closer while trying to steady my mind.

_Where is Dad?! This can't be..his b-blood!?_

I land on some rocks and look around the scene, taking pictures with my Pokepad.

I took a sample of the..blood...and I noticed an envelope sticking out in the sand. Written on it in a hasty scrawled message:

**Leave the note inside near the rock. If you do so, you will find Ben with the champion.**

I carefully jostle the note out of the envelope. It reads:

**I'm sorry, but I can't go on like this...Benjamin**

_WHAT!? I can't leave this here...but if i don't...i may not be able to find my dad...if he's still alive..._

I stick the envelope in an evidence bag and I keep searching. I can't help feeling suspicious about htat letter, because it looks like my dad's handwriting, but something's off...

On a few more rocks, I find some fibers that look like they came from heavy duty rope.

My head is swimming with information, when it occurs to me that I should probably "find" the scene of the crime soon. I take a few more pics before I reenact my finding of the crime scene and run off to tell mom.

**********************************Chapter 20: It's Not the Crime, It's the Cover-Up  
**

"Excuse me...I need to sit down a minute." My mom says when the Ranger Officer confirms my story.

"Ma'am, we aren't even sure if he's dead. All we know is that there's a suicide note signed by "Benjamin", a pool o' blood, and no body."

I am listening to all of this from my room because I want as little interaction with the authorities as I can.

I decide to do a little digging. I first quietly tiptoe to my parents room.

Pichu is sleeping on my parent's bed, so I quietly open the door to my dad's closet.

For one thing, I immediately notice that his backpack is gone. My dad only took his knapsack when he was still doing missions. I decide to check his drawers. As expected, clothes are missing, and some of the drawers are left open, like he was in a hurry. But something catches my eye in his sock drawer. I push aside the socks and I see a photograph. I examine it further...

The photo depicts the rubble at Crystal Cliffs, but less eroded, like it recently the bottom right corner, the initials K.R. appear.

_I know my dad's father, Kody Rengar, had a thing for cameras...did he take the picture?_

The scene depicts a boy that has to be Cyke, but he's begging this young police officer who's holding someone who looks like Cyke's brother. But that's not all...I do a double-take, because a certain person's face is halfway-cut off at the edge of the photo: A young Facere Malus.

I snap a pic of the photo, hide it back under the woolen socks, and run to my room. After grabbing a few objects from my secret compartment and stuffing them in my bag, I run downstairs. I know that my father isn't dead, and I have to prove it.

"Scarlet, I need to ask you a few questions about..." the officer says

"I don't have time for that! My dad is missing and I have to find him!" I yell faux-angrilly, pushing past him and my mom, who is as white as a sheet.

I walk outside, and I run to Cyke Beach. Pulling out Staraptor's Pokeball, I send him out and ride on his back.

"Staraptor...I know you're tired, but I need to get to Type Island. My dad's life may depend on it...

I walk up to the steps of the Pywright Forensic Investigative Services building, having asked Grace where one would be located, using the guise of having to shadow a true Forensic Scientist for a course at school. The place looks empty, but I knock hard on the front door. I hear quick footsteps and am promptly greeted by a young woman in a lab coat, rose colored glasses, brown hair in a bun, and a bag of some crunchy snack.

"We're closed, and even if we were open, you don't look like you have the cash to even buy a latex glo…"

"Emma. What have I said about people skills?"

"Emma" flicks one of her snacks at the 20's guy behind her, who has spikey hair, a monocle, a cape, and a red suit.

"Welcome to the Pywright Forensic Investigative Services. I'm Sluther Pywright, detective. Please come in."

I walk into one of the interview rooms where I sit across from Sluther and Emma.

"What can we help you with?"

"Well... A lot of weird events have been taking place on Ranger Island."

"Ranger Island!...um... keep going..." Sluther responds.

"Well, all these events seem interconnected, like there's this facade that covers the truth. The first incident is a rouge cutting down a tree house, and a ...faked death/ murder/ suicide.

"Do you have any pictures or evidence? Lets start with the ...disapearance"

"When I came upon the scene, there was a large pool of blood, of which I have a sample. There was also some fibers and a note in an envelope."

"Wait..so you took this evidence from the scene?!" Emma yells.

"I had to. The note told me to leave the suicide note, and I don't trust the police to carry out justice."

"Ok, children...", Sluther yells," Scarlet, do you have anything else?"

"Yes." I unzip my bookbag and pull out the chainsaw.

"This chainsaw was used by this guy with a weird uniform, who I pursued but ran away on a jet-ski."

"Describe it, please"

"I can do better!" I whip out my phone and select the picture, showing it to Sluther.

"!...Emma, start processing this, now."

"But..."

"Do you see what's on this guy's uniform?"

"...Fine."

Emma gets a cart and rolls the evidence down the hall.

"You might want to do something for an hour or two...this might take a little while"

"I want to wait here..."

"Suit yourself"

2 hours later...

"We identified the grunt the fingerprints belong to...Malon Diction. We'll put a bulletin out for him...Um...but we don't know why they've hired , we can't identify the handwriting on your envelope, but the blood does match your father's DNA"

"No!"

"Relax...it's frozen blood. He must have frozen it to use for the scene."

He flicks through my phone's pictures and shows me the one of the

"Scarlet...this picture is the reason that I am helping you. Those initials, T.N., they stand for Terror Nova."

"New Turf?" I ask, hearing him wrong.

"No...terrOR , not terrA. Its a criminal syndicate that operates in this region. What separates them from the likes of Team Rocket is that A, they are a much more secretive group, working in the dark and not attracting attention to themselves. B, they have their own goals, but they are mercinaries for hire, taking on consultants and info sources to achieve their clients goals for the right price."

"So...! You think the Ranger Council hired Terra Nova?"

"Yes, to do their dirty work, as the chainsaw suggests. FYI, we identified the grunt the fingerprints belong to...Malon Diction. We'll put a bulletin out for him...Um...but we don't know why they've hired , we can't identify the handwriting on your envelope, but the blood does match your father's DNA"

"No!"

"Relax...it's frozen blood. He must have frozen it to use for the scene."

He flicks through my phone's pictures, when he stops stone stiff.

"Where did you get this?"

He shows me the picture of the officer seizing Cyke's brother.

"My grandpa took the original...and I found it at my house...why?"

"This picture has been deleted from every book, newspaper, and magazine it has appeared in. It shows an officer paid off by Terra Nova seizing a little boy from his brother, with a Ranger watching."

"That's Cyke and Cyke's brother, and that's Facere Malus...and hey...that officer kinda looks like you..."

"Hey! I'm only 22. That pic was taken 20 years ago..but who's Cyke?"

I tell him about my meeting Cyke.

"Hmm...That's interesting. Poor guy, his parents were killed when a tremor collapsed their house.

"Tremor!...my dad went missing shortly after a tremor..."

"I think that they are definitely man-created...but how, I don't know. Anyways, keep in touch if anything else happens, but this building is moving to mainland Iventa soon."

"Why?"

"I'm taking the position of Gym Leader in Crimeseen City. I specialize in Dark Types...um...Do you have any other evidence to test?"

"Yeah...one more blood sample...It's not directly related, but it happened at a suspicious boat vandalism

I head out at around 2:00, and I decide to get something to eat when I walk pass the alleyway where Bill was mugged. I notice activity, and when I get closer, I see someone else getting mugged.

_That tares it!_

"Get off of him and go away!" I yell at the muggers, and when they see me, they get this look before running away.

I get closer, and then I recognize the muggee...its Aqua!"

"Aqua!" I yell as I run over to him, helping him up. He looks bruised,and he has a bloody nose.

"What happened to you?"

"I told my dad that I wouldn't take his position and he threw me out...I've been chased by the Water Faction Gangs ever since..."

"But where are you going to stay?"

"I don't know...that's been the least of my worries...I tried Jade, but I only got her sister Sage instead, saying that Jade was unavailable. I also tried Ashton, but he's been sent to some boarding school."

"I have an idea...it's risky, but it just might work..."

"I'll try anything..."

I VoiceNav my mom

"Scarlet! Where are you!"

"Mom...I'm ok...I'm at Type Island with a detective who looked at the evidence...and he believes that dad was kidnapped by the Council."

_its kinda true...i can't let mom know dad faked his death and left us..._

__"Ok...what does the detective recommend?"

"He says that he's looking into a syndicate that might be responsible...but I need a favor."

"What, honey?"

"You have access to student files, right? Well, I need you to create a new student."

******************************************************************************************************Chapter 21: Pomp and Circumstances  
**

****************************************************************************************************************************************

3 months later...

"And these new graduates have the potential to accomplish anything they put their mind to..."

I listen as Facere Malus gives the farewell speach to our Ranger Graduating Class. I got valedictorian, and Vera got Salutatorian. Tyler was farther down the list.

"The graduates of 2011...good luck!"

We throw our caps in the air, and I immediately run home, followed by Aqua, or Tony as he's known on the island. For the past three months, Aqua has lived with me and mom. Every chance I get I try to find more info on dad, but to no avail. Sluther's contacted me occasionally, but with no new information.

Me and Aqua grab our bags and hurry to the harbor.

I show my Ranger ID to Brian, and Aqua does likewise.

"Scarlet! Wait!"

Vera runs in her gown.

"Scarlet...are you really leaving now?"

"Yeah... I have to...for my dad..."

I hand her a piece of paper.

"What's this?"

"I sent a few of your drawings to this art academy, and they've given you a full ride scholarship."

"Scarlet..."

She then quickly hugs me.

"See you soon..."

"You too, Vera."

I wave to her as the boat leaves the port... it will be a while before I see her again...

I hand a folder to Brian as we get off the boat.

"What's this, mate?"

"It's an official lab report for the boat incident. Tyler did it, and now... you can prove it."

"Thanks Scarlet...you are a good kid."

"See you soon, Brian."

"You too!"

Aqua and I run off towards the Grass Faction, where we will wait for Jade to jailbreak herself so we can finally be free and start our adventure.

And to think this all started from some Trivial Disobedience...

POV:?

Location:?

"So what do you want us to do about Scarlet?" I hear on my phone.

"He's too dangerous... If you can trap him, bring him in...alive. Any more updates?"

"Yes, we have a prospective consultant group called the Psy Guys online that says they are already tracking Scarlet and can trap him."

"Let me listen to them..."

I hear someone new come on the line.

"Hi...I'm Carson, and me, my associate Kit, and my boss have the deal of your lifetime for you, Facére Malus!"

TO BE CONTINUED

END OF BOOK 1


End file.
